"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

New study links meat consumption to urinary tract infections

March 24, 2023 – At least half 1,000,000 urinary tract infections are attributable to eating meat contaminated with E. coli Bacteria, reports a brand new study.

E. coli is essentially the most common bacterium that causes urinary tract infections and normally lives harmless within the human intestinal tract, even though it is generally known as a source of food poisoning.

“Most people know that eating raw meat or accidentally ingesting bacteria from meat can cause stomach upset,” said researcher Lance B. Price, a professor at George Washington University, in response to The Washington Post“But now we also know that certain varieties of E. colicaused by raw meat also cause hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections.”

The latest findings are surprising because most recommendations for stopping UTIs include urinating after sex or wiping from front to back after using the bathroom to scale back the prospect of introducing bacteria into the urinary tract. UTIs affect 40% of all women during their lifetime and as much as 8 million people within the United States annually.

The study was published last month within the magazine A health. Every two weeks throughout 2012, researchers tested all available brands of raw chicken, turkey, and pork at major grocery chains in Flagstaff, Arizona. They also examined E. coli data from urine and blood samples for the yr at Flagstaff Medical Center.

E. coli accounts for 85% of urinary tract infections, The post reported, and the researchers concluded that 8% of those cases were attributable to food. The study authors didn’t discuss any prevention approaches.

Urinary tract infections can affect the kidneys, bladder or urethra. The course of the disease ranges from being symptom-free to an unpleasant burning sensation to potentially everlasting kidney dysfunction. The Mayo Clinic.