(P06-033-23) Women Have Different UTI Susceptibility and Responses to Cranberry Juice Intake Based on Urinary Anti-Adhesion Activities Against E. coli

Objectives: The study aimed to determine women’s susceptibility to urinary tract infections (UTIs) based on inherent activities of urine to inhibit the adhesion of P-type uropathogenic E. coli and how such activities respond to cranberry juice intake.

Methods: Healthy and non-obese women aged 21-65 refrained from any cranberry products for 10 days (n = 152) and were given 10 oz of 100% cranberry juice daily for additional 4 days (n = 150). Two baseline urines were collected on days 9 and 10. A post-consumption urine was collected after day 14. Urine samples were standardized to 40 mg creatinine/dL. Anti-adhesion activities were measured with a fluorometric method and expressed by anti-adhesion index (AAI). Responses to cranberry juice were evaluated by net changes of AAI in urine after cranberry juice consumption. The registration number for this trial is NCT05065008.

Results: The inherent AAIs against P-type E. coli ranged from 12-184 in women before cranberry juice intake. Seventy-five women had inherent anti-adhesion activities above the 50th percentile and were classified as “UTI-susceptible.” The rest (n=77) were classified as “UTI-resistant.” Thirty-seven UTI-susceptible and 43 UTI-resistant women had increased urinary antiadhesion activities after cranberry juice intake. The rest did not show AAI increase after cranberry juice intake. Twenty-two out of 74 UTI-susceptible women (30%) had net increases of AAI above 18 and were deemed “strong responders” to cranberry juice. Sixteen out of 76 UTI-resistant women (21%) had net AAI increases above 19 and were defined as strong responders. About 27% of susceptible and 24% of resistant women had AAI changes below -14 and were deemed “non-responders.” The rest (43% & 55%) were classified as “neutral.”

Conclusions: Women’s susceptibility to UTI varies widely based on the inherent abilities of urine to inhibit the adhesion of P-type E. coli. About 25% of women had strong positive responses to cranberry juice intake due to increased urinary anti-adhesion activities. The rest women had weak to no responses. Overall, UTI-susceptible women responded more positively to cranberry juice than UTI-resistant women.

Funding Sources: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (grant 2022-67017-36240) and University of Florida Research Foundation Seed Fund