Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is D-Mannose?Side EffectsPrecautionsDosageWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is D-Mannose?
Side Effects
Precautions
Dosage
When to Seek Care
D-mannoseis sometimes used as a dietary supplement to treat or prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). While it can’t replace medical treatment in all cases, some studies suggest it could be helpful when used alongside standard treatment.
Research suggests that D-mannose may help improve UTI symptoms after about 10 days, and it can be effective for completely curing a UTI when used in conjunction with antibiotics.
That said, newer findings in a small study suggest the supplement may be a useful alternative to antibiotics.Other research finds that it can help prevent recurrent infections.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements the way it regulates prescription drugs. That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says. Whenchoosing a supplement, look for independently tested products and consult a healthcare provider, registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN), or pharmacist.
D-mannose in its natural form is a type of sugar found in certain fruits and vegetables, includingcranberries, cabbage, and tomatoes. It’s also produced in the body from glucose, another form of sugar. D-mannose is also called mannose.
As a supplement, D-mannose comes in the form of capsules and powders. D-mannose powder is mixed with water or unsweetened juice and taken as a liquid.
Supplement Facts
How D-Mannose Is Used for UTIs
There is some evidence that D-mannose may prevent or treat UTIs. A number of small studies have suggested that D-mannose may help keepE. coli—the bacteria responsible for the vast majority of these infections—from sticking to the cells lining the urinary tract.More research is needed to confirm these effects. It should not be used to replace traditional treatment.
More than 7 million healthcare provider visits a year are due to UTIs.Frequent UTIs are usually treated with a low-dose antibiotic taken for six months or longer.
Can D-Mannose Replace Antibiotics for a UTI?
Recent research suggests that D-mannose might be an effective alternative to antibiotics for some people.Studies have also shown that, when used in addition to antibiotics, it may help improve symptoms.
It’s important to remember that supplements should not replace traditional medical treatment. If you think you have a UTI, seek medical advice from a healthcare provider.
While some research has suggested the supplement may help when used in addition to antibiotics, remember that these studies are often small and low in quality.
The following studies examined the use of D-mannose for treating UTIs:
Research is ongoing and more studies are needed.
UTI Prevention
Some research has suggested that D-mannose supplementation helps prevent recurrent UTIs when compared with a placebo. It may also be similarly effective to antibiotics for preventive use.
Several studies have looked at the use of D-mannose to prevent returning UTIs:
When used as a supplement, D-mannose may help prevent recurrent UTIs. However, larger, high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.
MonaMakela / Getty Images
What Are the Side Effects of D-Mannose?
Common side effects of D-mannose reported in studies include:
Precautions for Using D-Mannose
Since D-mannose exits the body in urine, there is some concern that high doses may injure or impair thekidneys.
D-mannose can also potentially affect blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
Not enough is known about the safety of the supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so it should be avoided. Children shouldn’t take D-mannose either.
You should not self-treat a UTI with D-mannose or otherwise avoid or delay standard care, as doing so can lead to serious complications, including akidney infectionand even permanent kidney damage.
Is It OK to Take D-Mannose Every Day?
While D-mannose is typically considered safe because it occurs naturally in many foods, doses higher than consumed through a normal diet may be toxic or otherwise harmful. In addition, little is known about the long-term safety of D-mannose taken daily or at any dose.
There are currently no standard guidelines for D-mannose dosages. In studies, D-mannose dosages have ranged from as little as 420 milligrams per day to 3 grams daily in various supplement forms.
Consult your healthcare provider before taking D-mannose to confirm how much you should take.
When to Talk With a Healthcare Provider
If you experience recurrent UTIs, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to determine your best plan of action.
As with any new supplement, if you’re thinking about trying a D-mannose supplement, talk with your healthcare provider first. They can help identify any risks or benefits specific to your health conditions.
Summary
Preliminary studies suggest that D-mannose holds promise as a way to help prevent UTIs. However, larger, high-quality studies are needed to confirm the findings and the safety of D-mannose supplements.
If you’re still thinking of trying D-mannose to prevent UTIs, talk with your healthcare provider first to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether it’s a good option for you.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Porru D, Parmigiani A, Tinelli C, et al.Oral D-mannose in recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a pilot study.Journal of Clinical Urology. 2014;7(3):208-213. doi:10.1177/2051415813518332Domenici L, Monti M, Bracchi C, et al.D-mannose: a promising support for acute urinary tract infections in women. A pilot study.Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(13):2920-2925.Florian Wagenlehner, Horst Lorenz, Oda Ewald, and Peter Gerke. “Why d-Mannose May Be as Efficient as Antibiotics in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections—Preliminary Considerations and Conclusions from a Non-Interventional Study.“Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Mar; 11(3): 314. Published online 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030314Ala-Jaakkola R, Laitila A, Ouwehand AC, Lehtoranta L.Role of D-mannose in urinary tract infections - a narrative review.Nutr J. 2022;21(1):18. doi:10.1186/s12937-022-00769-xLenger SM, Bradley MS, Thomas DA, Bertolet MH, Lowder JL, Sutcliffe S.D-mannose vs other agents for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):265.e1-265.e13. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.048Altarac S, Papeš D.Use of D-mannose in prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women: Comment.BJU Int. 2014;113(1):9-10. doi:10.1111/bju.12492Scribano D, Sarshar M, Prezioso C, et al.D-mannose treatment neither affects uropathogenic escherichia coli properties nor induces stable FimH modifications.Molecules. 2020;25(2):316. doi:10.3390/molecules25020316Medina M, Castillo-Pino E.An introduction to the epidemiology and burden of urinary tract infections.Therapeutic Advances in Urology. 2019;11:175628721983217. doi:10.1177/1756287219832172Ahmed H, Davies F, Francis N, Farewell D, Butler C, Paranjothy S.Long-term antibiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.BMJ Open.2017;7(5):e015233. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015233Parazzini F, Ricci E, Fedele F, Chiaffarino F, Esposito G, Cipriani S.Systematic review of the effect of D-mannose with or without other drugs in the treatment of symptoms of urinary tract infections/cystitis (Review).Biomed Rep. 2022;17(2):69. doi:10.3892/br.2022.1552Aydin A, Ahmed K, Zaman I, Khan MS, Dasgupta P.Recurrent urinary tract infections in women.Int Urogynecol J.2015;26(6):795-804. doi:10.1007/s00192-014-2569-5Kranjčec B, Papeš D, Altarac S.D-mannose powder for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a randomized clinical trial.World J Urol.2014;32(1):79-84. doi:10.1007/s00345-013-1091-6Cooper TE, Teng C, Howell M, Teixeira-Pinto A, Jaure A, Wong G.D-mannose for preventing and treating urinary tract infections.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;8(8):CD013608. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013608.pub2
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Porru D, Parmigiani A, Tinelli C, et al.Oral D-mannose in recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a pilot study.Journal of Clinical Urology. 2014;7(3):208-213. doi:10.1177/2051415813518332Domenici L, Monti M, Bracchi C, et al.D-mannose: a promising support for acute urinary tract infections in women. A pilot study.Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(13):2920-2925.Florian Wagenlehner, Horst Lorenz, Oda Ewald, and Peter Gerke. “Why d-Mannose May Be as Efficient as Antibiotics in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections—Preliminary Considerations and Conclusions from a Non-Interventional Study.“Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Mar; 11(3): 314. Published online 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030314Ala-Jaakkola R, Laitila A, Ouwehand AC, Lehtoranta L.Role of D-mannose in urinary tract infections - a narrative review.Nutr J. 2022;21(1):18. doi:10.1186/s12937-022-00769-xLenger SM, Bradley MS, Thomas DA, Bertolet MH, Lowder JL, Sutcliffe S.D-mannose vs other agents for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):265.e1-265.e13. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.048Altarac S, Papeš D.Use of D-mannose in prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women: Comment.BJU Int. 2014;113(1):9-10. doi:10.1111/bju.12492Scribano D, Sarshar M, Prezioso C, et al.D-mannose treatment neither affects uropathogenic escherichia coli properties nor induces stable FimH modifications.Molecules. 2020;25(2):316. doi:10.3390/molecules25020316Medina M, Castillo-Pino E.An introduction to the epidemiology and burden of urinary tract infections.Therapeutic Advances in Urology. 2019;11:175628721983217. doi:10.1177/1756287219832172Ahmed H, Davies F, Francis N, Farewell D, Butler C, Paranjothy S.Long-term antibiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.BMJ Open.2017;7(5):e015233. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015233Parazzini F, Ricci E, Fedele F, Chiaffarino F, Esposito G, Cipriani S.Systematic review of the effect of D-mannose with or without other drugs in the treatment of symptoms of urinary tract infections/cystitis (Review).Biomed Rep. 2022;17(2):69. doi:10.3892/br.2022.1552Aydin A, Ahmed K, Zaman I, Khan MS, Dasgupta P.Recurrent urinary tract infections in women.Int Urogynecol J.2015;26(6):795-804. doi:10.1007/s00192-014-2569-5Kranjčec B, Papeš D, Altarac S.D-mannose powder for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a randomized clinical trial.World J Urol.2014;32(1):79-84. doi:10.1007/s00345-013-1091-6Cooper TE, Teng C, Howell M, Teixeira-Pinto A, Jaure A, Wong G.D-mannose for preventing and treating urinary tract infections.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;8(8):CD013608. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013608.pub2
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Porru D, Parmigiani A, Tinelli C, et al.Oral D-mannose in recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a pilot study.Journal of Clinical Urology. 2014;7(3):208-213. doi:10.1177/2051415813518332Domenici L, Monti M, Bracchi C, et al.D-mannose: a promising support for acute urinary tract infections in women. A pilot study.Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(13):2920-2925.Florian Wagenlehner, Horst Lorenz, Oda Ewald, and Peter Gerke. “Why d-Mannose May Be as Efficient as Antibiotics in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections—Preliminary Considerations and Conclusions from a Non-Interventional Study.“Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Mar; 11(3): 314. Published online 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030314Ala-Jaakkola R, Laitila A, Ouwehand AC, Lehtoranta L.Role of D-mannose in urinary tract infections - a narrative review.Nutr J. 2022;21(1):18. doi:10.1186/s12937-022-00769-xLenger SM, Bradley MS, Thomas DA, Bertolet MH, Lowder JL, Sutcliffe S.D-mannose vs other agents for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):265.e1-265.e13. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.048Altarac S, Papeš D.Use of D-mannose in prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women: Comment.BJU Int. 2014;113(1):9-10. doi:10.1111/bju.12492Scribano D, Sarshar M, Prezioso C, et al.D-mannose treatment neither affects uropathogenic escherichia coli properties nor induces stable FimH modifications.Molecules. 2020;25(2):316. doi:10.3390/molecules25020316Medina M, Castillo-Pino E.An introduction to the epidemiology and burden of urinary tract infections.Therapeutic Advances in Urology. 2019;11:175628721983217. doi:10.1177/1756287219832172Ahmed H, Davies F, Francis N, Farewell D, Butler C, Paranjothy S.Long-term antibiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.BMJ Open.2017;7(5):e015233. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015233Parazzini F, Ricci E, Fedele F, Chiaffarino F, Esposito G, Cipriani S.Systematic review of the effect of D-mannose with or without other drugs in the treatment of symptoms of urinary tract infections/cystitis (Review).Biomed Rep. 2022;17(2):69. doi:10.3892/br.2022.1552Aydin A, Ahmed K, Zaman I, Khan MS, Dasgupta P.Recurrent urinary tract infections in women.Int Urogynecol J.2015;26(6):795-804. doi:10.1007/s00192-014-2569-5Kranjčec B, Papeš D, Altarac S.D-mannose powder for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a randomized clinical trial.World J Urol.2014;32(1):79-84. doi:10.1007/s00345-013-1091-6Cooper TE, Teng C, Howell M, Teixeira-Pinto A, Jaure A, Wong G.D-mannose for preventing and treating urinary tract infections.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;8(8):CD013608. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013608.pub2
Porru D, Parmigiani A, Tinelli C, et al.Oral D-mannose in recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a pilot study.Journal of Clinical Urology. 2014;7(3):208-213. doi:10.1177/2051415813518332
Domenici L, Monti M, Bracchi C, et al.D-mannose: a promising support for acute urinary tract infections in women. A pilot study.Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(13):2920-2925.
Florian Wagenlehner, Horst Lorenz, Oda Ewald, and Peter Gerke. “Why d-Mannose May Be as Efficient as Antibiotics in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections—Preliminary Considerations and Conclusions from a Non-Interventional Study.“Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Mar; 11(3): 314. Published online 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030314
Ala-Jaakkola R, Laitila A, Ouwehand AC, Lehtoranta L.Role of D-mannose in urinary tract infections - a narrative review.Nutr J. 2022;21(1):18. doi:10.1186/s12937-022-00769-x
Lenger SM, Bradley MS, Thomas DA, Bertolet MH, Lowder JL, Sutcliffe S.D-mannose vs other agents for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):265.e1-265.e13. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.048
Altarac S, Papeš D.Use of D-mannose in prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women: Comment.BJU Int. 2014;113(1):9-10. doi:10.1111/bju.12492
Scribano D, Sarshar M, Prezioso C, et al.D-mannose treatment neither affects uropathogenic escherichia coli properties nor induces stable FimH modifications.Molecules. 2020;25(2):316. doi:10.3390/molecules25020316
Medina M, Castillo-Pino E.An introduction to the epidemiology and burden of urinary tract infections.Therapeutic Advances in Urology. 2019;11:175628721983217. doi:10.1177/1756287219832172
Ahmed H, Davies F, Francis N, Farewell D, Butler C, Paranjothy S.Long-term antibiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.BMJ Open.2017;7(5):e015233. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015233
Parazzini F, Ricci E, Fedele F, Chiaffarino F, Esposito G, Cipriani S.Systematic review of the effect of D-mannose with or without other drugs in the treatment of symptoms of urinary tract infections/cystitis (Review).Biomed Rep. 2022;17(2):69. doi:10.3892/br.2022.1552
Aydin A, Ahmed K, Zaman I, Khan MS, Dasgupta P.Recurrent urinary tract infections in women.Int Urogynecol J.2015;26(6):795-804. doi:10.1007/s00192-014-2569-5
Kranjčec B, Papeš D, Altarac S.D-mannose powder for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a randomized clinical trial.World J Urol.2014;32(1):79-84. doi:10.1007/s00345-013-1091-6
Cooper TE, Teng C, Howell M, Teixeira-Pinto A, Jaure A, Wong G.D-mannose for preventing and treating urinary tract infections.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;8(8):CD013608. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013608.pub2
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