How to fight cystitis at the table?

Preferring a diet that must be rich in foods with anti-inflammatory and diuretic action. Let's find out better.

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Blueberries among useful foods against cystitis

What is cystitis

The term cystitis indicates a urinary tract disorder characterized by pain and / or burning while urinating and frequent urination, often accompanied by a not completely empty bladder sensation. Urine may appear cloudy and smelly. Sometimes fever and blood appear in the urine.

In the event that cystitis is suspected, the doctor prescribes urine culture with an antibiogram to assess the presence of a bacterial load.

It is a rather common disorder in all ages and in both sexes. It also affects newborns and is prevalent in women. There are some factors that predispose to the appearance of these infections:

• In women: use of estroprogestinici, use of diaphragm and spermicides, number of parts, menopause, sexual intercourse, constipation.
• In men: urethral strictures, hypertrophy or prostate stones.
• For both sexes, then, there are conditions and pathologies that increase the risk of cystitis, such as, for example, diabetes mellitus, obstruction of the urinary tract of various kinds, immunodepression, urinary stones, some neurological pathologies.

Especially in people with frequent relapses, for example more than three episodes in a year, it is useful to adopt some preventive measures that essentially concern intimate hygiene and nutrition .

You can learn more about cystitis symptoms, causes and remedies

Nutrition against cystitis

Nutrition against cystitis requires first of all proper hydration. Drinking water reduces the bacterial load by dilution; however, care must be taken in the case of known vesico-urethral reflux, as there is a risk of aggravating the disorder.

It is also useful to introduce food with anti-inflammatory action in the diet: in the case of cystitis, for example, currants and blueberries work.

It is advisable to eat fresh currants and blueberries or even drink juices prepared with these fruits ; in this case, however, pay attention to the packaged products you choose, always check on the label that the amount of currant contained in the juice is high and that the drink does not have added sugars .

In fact, sugars have an inflammatory action; for this reason those who offer cystitis should avoid, or at least limit, the consumption of sweets.

Sometimes cystitis can be caused by bacteria in the intestine that pass into the urogenital district. In that case, one of the best ways to prevent cystitis is to cure eating to maintain a good intestinal balance. To this end , in addition to desserts, cheese, sausages and spirits are not recommended . Even caffeine is no friend to those who suffer from cystitis. In addition, all spicy foods should be avoided during the acute attack; it is therefore good to banish pepper and chilli .

The diet, on the whole, should be rich in whole grains, seasonal fruits and vegetables, with a greater preference for diuretic foods, for example pineapples, strawberries, watermelon, fennel and cucumbers.

In addition to nutrition, personal hygiene must be taken care of in particular. It is useful to use only cotton linens, avoid pants that are too tight, use delicate intimate cleansers, avoid wearing wet swimsuits in the pool or at the sea, go and urinate immediately after sexual intercourse.

Did you know that

Urinary tract infections are known and have been studied since ancient times. For example, some Egyptian papyri have found recommendations to alleviate cystitis symptoms.

Hippocrates identified the cause of urinary infections in the " disharmony of the four humors " and recommended remedies such as proper nutrition, bed rest and use of some healing herbs.

Urination diseases were also studied in Roman times, in the Middle Ages and in the following centuries, but the real turning point came in the 20th century with the refinement of diagnostic techniques and the discovery of the first antibiotics. In the 1970s, penicillin derivatives were introduced (for example, amoxicillin); this, if on the one hand it has considerably increased the effectiveness of the treatment of urinary infections, on the other it has determined, over time, the appearance of the phenomenon of bacterial resistance to some antibiotics .

Recent acquisitions suggest the genetic component as a possible cause of recurrent urinary diseases.