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Why mannitol works for urinary tract infections
2025-03-13
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Mannose (or D-Mannose) is a simple sugar, but unlike glucose, mannose is not easily absorbed by the body after consumption, and 90% of mannose is excreted directly through the urine after about 30 to 60 minutes after taking it, so unlike glucose, mannose does not affect blood sugar, but is highly concentrated in the urine. Mannose can interfere with glucose metabolism, inhibit fat deposition, regulate intestinal flora and participate in immune regulation. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of action of mannose in the treatment of related diseases is the key to expand its clinical application.In recent years, there have been many studies on mannose. Today, we will discuss whether mannose has any effect on the treatment of urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infection is a disease caused by bacterial infection in any organ tissue on the urinary road, including the kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra, etc., but urinary tract infection is generally dominated by the bladder and urethra. Due to physical differences between men and women, women have a higher chance of urinary tract infections than men. Studies show that women have a 50 percent chance of developing a urinary tract infection during their lifetime, and between a third and a half of those infected will become infected within a year.Since the 1980s, mannose has been used by functional medicine doctors to treat urinary tract infections. In recent years, with numerous research evidences proving the therapeutic and preventive effects of mannose, the role of mannose in the treatment of urinary tract infection has gradually attracted the attention of mainstream medicine.
How does mannose work?When excreted through the kidneys, bladder, and urethra, mannose will encase the passing tissue cells and bacteria that attempt to adhere to the cells, making the bacteria unable to adhere to the bladder and urinary duct cells, blocking the path of bacterial infection, and bacteria that cannot adhere to urinary tract tissues will follow the urine out of the body. Most urinary tract infections are caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC binds to mannose on the surface of bladder epithelial cells through FimH protein and is not easily washed away by urine. They modified mannose to obtain mannoside (M4284). Its affinity with FimH protein is 100,000 times higher than that of mannose, but it does not adhere to the surface of the bladder and can be excreted with E. coli in urine.In a 2016 international study, patients who took mannose for 13 days experienced a significant reduction in symptoms and a significant improvement in their quality of life as assessed by questionnaires. To prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, the researchers divided the patients into two groups, the intervention group continued to take mannose, the control group did not have anything. The result of the mannose group, only 4.5 percent of the recurrence within six months, compared with 33.3 percent of the control group. The researchers concluded that mannose can assist in the treatment of acute urinary tract infections and can successfully prevent the recurrence of urinary tract infections.