Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a prevalent health issue in the United States, leading to over 10.5 million medical visits annually.
Common symptoms experienced by those affected include a persistent and urgent need to urinate, a burning sensation during urination, pelvic discomfort, and fever. In more severe instances, the infection may advance to the kidneys and bloodstream, potentially resulting in the life-threatening condition known as sepsis.
The majority of UTIs are caused by the bacterium E. coli, which is usually harmless in the intestines but can lead to infection if it enters the urinary tract.
Medical professionals have consistently cautioned that inadequate hand hygiene and sexual activity can increase the likelihood of developing a UTI. Women are particularly at risk due to the proximity of their urinary tract to the bowels, with estimates indicating they are 30 times more susceptible than men.
Recently, experts have begun to highlight another factor that may contribute to UTI risk: diet.
Emerging research points to a link between consuming meat, especially when it’s undercooked, such as pork, chicken, turkey, or beef, and an increased risk of developing a UTI.
On the other hand, researchers have also found that vegetarians are 18 percent less likely to suffer from the complication than those who eat meat.
Experts say meat may raise the risk of a UTI because it can be contaminated with E.coli which can spread to hands and work surfaces during preparation and then the urinary tract when someone uses the bathroom.
Actress Tanya Roberts, pictured in A View to Kill in 1985, died from a urinary tract infection that led to sepsis. She appeared in Charlie’s Angels alongside other movies
Doctors also warn that eating undercooked meat can lead the gut to be colonized with new strains of E.coli that may raise the risk of an infection.
In 2025, a study published in the journal Clinical Microbiology found that nearly one in five UTIs among 23,483 UTI patients were due to contaminated meat and poultry.
In the study, patients had suffered from the infection after consuming chicken, turkey, pork or beef.
In a separate analysis from 2023, published in One Health, researchers estimated that E.coli from food may account for up to 640,000 UTIs in the US every year.
Conversely, a further study from 2020 published in Scientific Reports that tracked 9,000 Buddhists in Taiwan for nine years, of whom 3,200 were vegetarians, and found that those following a plant-based diet had an 18 percent lower risk of an infection.
The studies were observational, however, and could not definitively prove that following a diet high in meat raised the risk of a UTI.
More studies into this link are underway, however.
Other dietary changes may also help to slash the risk of a UTI, according to previous research.
A 2017 paper by researchers at the University of Michigan found that consuming less coffee, tea and soft drinks, which can irritate the bladder, slashed the risk of an infection.
Shown above is Lauren Carson, 31, from Belfast, UK, who was given just 24 hours to live after she was diagnosed with a UTI that had triggered sepsis
In the study, researchers tracked 35 women with lower urinary tract symptoms, such as an urge to urinate, who consumed about 63 ounces of drinks that could irritate the bowels per day, equivalent to about five cups of coffee or three bottles of Coca-Cola.
In the first three days, when the participants continued as normal, about 3.21 lower urinary tract symptoms were recorded per person. But in the next three, when participants were asked to stop consuming the beverages, 2.8 symptoms were recorded.
Coffees, teas and soft drinks contain caffeine, which can stimulate the bladder muscle and cause more frequent urination, raising the risk of a UTI.
In a rare case of an extreme infection, actress Tanya Roberts, who appeared in Charlie’s Angels, died from a UTI at the age of 71 in 2021.
In August last year, Lauren Carson, 31, from Belfast, UK, was given just 24 hours to live after she was diagnosed with a UTI that had triggered sepsis.
Doctors warn that women going through menopause have a higher risk of infection because their hormonal shifts change the composition of the bacteria in their vagina.
UTIs are commonly treated using antibiotics to clear the infection, with doctors saying symptoms start to clear within a few days of taking the drug.
To prevent repeated infections, doctors recommend drinking plenty of fluids, including water, which can flush the urinary tract more often and remove any bacteria before it starts an infection.
Patients may also be urged to manage constipation by eating more fruits, vegetables, beans, whole-grain bread and other fiber-rich foods.
