What does a sugar have to do with cystitis ? It has a lot to do with it, if the sugar in question is called mannose and if it is used for therapeutic purposes and not to prepare sweets.

Cystitis , as we know, is a “hard to die” infection: often difficult to eradicate and even more often with a high frequency of relapses , or episodes that recur even after taking antibiotic treatments, perhaps very heavy. Good intestinal health will be essential to treat cystitis, but mannose will be essential to prevent the infection from recurring .

Mannose to cure cystitis: what is it?

Mannose, or rather  D-mannose, is a simple sugar, like glucose, made up of a single molecule. Unlike glucose, however, once absorbed by our intestine, it passes into the bloodstream but does not enter the energy reactions.

That is , it does not provide calories , it is eliminated “as it is” by the kidneys : in the urinary tract, therefore, mannose reaches very high concentrations and here it performs its function to treat cystitis. In fact, mannose interacts directly with the bacteria that colonize the urinary tract .

Mannose to cure cystitis: why?

D-mannose has a high affinity for the external lectins (i.e. filaments) of many bacteria, in particular Escherichia coli, which is one of the main infecting agents in case of cystitis.

In order to cause cystitis , the bacteria must attach themselves to the cell walls of the bladder through their filaments (lectins).

If the bacteria are present but do not attack, they will not cause infection and will be excreted directly in the urine. The adhesive capacity of bacteria to D-mannose is higher than that towards the cells of the bladder, therefore D-mannose will also be able to detach bacteria already anchored to the mucosa and also those that have penetrated deeply.

It has been shown that D-mannose also binds to the toxins that bacteria produce to reach the inner mucosal layer in which they nest.

The D-Mannose then attaches to the lectins preventing binding to the bladder cells. Once combined with D-mannose , the bacteria can no longer adhere to the bladder and are eliminated through urination.

Mannose to treat cystitis: how is it used?

D-mannose has negligible side effects , therefore it can also be taken – with the advice of the treating doctor – by people with diabetes, babies, children, pregnant and lactating women.

The dosage indications and the duration of treatment will be defined by the doctor and must be adapted to the individual case based on one’s history, habits and the course of symptoms.

There will be different therapies and doses in case of:

1.  acute phase : reduced doses but very frequent intakes (up to 6-7 per day);
2. maintenance phase, prevention of cystitis: frequency reduced to 3 daily doses, which over time will be reduced to 2 daily doses.

Tips for an effective intake of D-Mannose:

• On an empty stomach;
• in a hot drink or in any case in about 150 ml of liquid (no more);
• with an empty bladder, i.e. just after urinating.