Your urinary system, including your kidneys, bladder, ureters and urethra, filters and eliminates waste products from the bloodstream and helps regulate fluid and salt balance in your body. A healthy diet provides your urinary system with nutrients it requires to function efficiently. Certain foods offer particularly high levels of urinary-health-boosting benefits.<br /><br />Berries<br /><br />Berries may promote urinary tract health and provide protection against infection, according to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide. Flavonols in berries, the compounds plants use to fight bacterial infections, may be responsible for the benefits seen in humans. A glass of berry juice once a day may reduce your risk of developing a urinary tract infection by up to 34 percent. One study, published in the July-August issue of the "Journal of Medicinal Food" found that cranberry juice cocktail prevents bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract, thereby lowering infection risk. Participants drank 16 ounces of cranberry juice cocktail and within two hours samples of their urine showed decreased adhesive ability. The effects of the cranberry juice continued to increase for at least eight hours.<br /><br />Yogurt<br /><br />Eating yogurt and other fermented dairy products regularly may decrease your risk of urinary tract infection by up to 80 percent. Yogurt also helps prevent bladder cancer, according to a long-term study of 82,000 volunteers published in the October 2018 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Participants who ate two or more servings of yogurt, sour cream or other cultured milk products showed the lowest incidence of bladder cancer. By contrast, milk and cheese did not lower bladder cancer risk. Researchers concluded that fermented dairy products may help prevent this type of cancer.<br /><br />Garlic<br /><br />Garlic exhibited potential benefits against bladder cancer in a tissue culture study published in the January-February 2016 issue of the journal "Molecular Medicine Reports." Garlic extract induced cell death in bladder cancer cells and inhibited cancer cells from migrating and metastasizing. Researchers concluded that garlic may offer potential benefits in the treatment and prevention of bladder cancer. Garlic also shows possible protective effects for the kidneys, according to a laboratory animal study on chronic kidney failure published in the 2016 issue of the journal "Renal Failure." Supplementation with garlic for three weeks reduced inflammation and decreased white blood cell levels. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.<br /><br />Antioxidants<br /><br />Proanthocyanidin antioxidants in cocoa, apples, grapes, peanuts and cinnamon may help maintain the health of your urinary tract, notes Dr. Shweta Rastogi, in her book "Eat Right to Stay Bright: Manage Diet to Manage Disease." Grape seed extract, obtained from grape juice or wine or by eating grapes with seeds, may prevent kidney disease by prolonging the life of kidney cells and protecting against oxidation, according to a study published in the May 2019 issue of the journal "Nephrology."<br /><br />by Dr. Bashar Hadi Al-Araji