For a study, researchers sought to determine if urine acidity can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and if it is altered by diet. They wanted to see how urine pH affected the rate of recurrent UTIs (RUTIs) following electrofulguration (EF) in three groups of women with varied urine pH ranges and the relationship between food composition and urine pH.
Women in a previous IRB-approved prospective trial documented urine pH and nutrition for a week. There are three urine pH groups: never below 6, never above 6, and above and below 6. A 3-day diet analysis was performed in the study, which comprised classifying different meals by acidity using pH food charts and estimating quantities ingested using a nutritional analysis database. The rate of UTIs after EF and urine pH following acidic meal consumption were studied between urine pH groups. Low urine pH, hypothesized, protects against RUTIs.
There was no change in UTI prevalence, rate, or culture features across the groups of 37/69 patients who received EF with a lengthy median follow-up time (4-6 years). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean amount of acidic meals consumed and the urine pH after each meal.
During long-term follow-up, no connection was detected between urine pH groups, acidic food intake, and rates of UTIs after EF, potentially because there is no link between urine pH and UTIs or because EF already causes a significant reduction in UTI rates.
Reference: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(22)00071-1/fulltext
