Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to UTI prevention.
Uqora is a supplement brand that makes products for urinary tract health, and their marketing is targeted mostly to women. The brand describes their products as "proactive urinary tract health," which suggests that they're used to prevent urinary tract infection (UTI) from occurring, rather than to treat an active UTI.
But does Uqora use research-backed ingredients for preventing UTIs? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Which Uqora product has the best formulation? And does this brand cause side effects?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Uqora's three supplements (Flush, Defend, Promote), to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Uqora to other popular urinary tract health brands like URO to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- We don't consider any of the supplements to be effectively formulated
- Brand makes questionable health claims
- We do not currently recommend Uqora
Uqora Flush Review
The ingredients in Uqora Flush are shown below:
image source: https://uqora.com/
This supplement was previously branded as "Uqora Target," and the brand claims it can “gently flush the urinary tract” and “increase urinary flow”.
We’re unclear what the company means by “flushing” the urinary tract, because that's what regular urination does. The brand does note cite this claim and we consider it unscientific.
Most of the active ingredients are comprised of a vitamin and mineral blend.
We can’t locate any medical studies suggesting that these added vitamins and minerals are effective for preventing UTI or increasing urinary flow.
In fact, a meta-study highlighted an increased risk of UTI with calcium supplementation.
D-mannose is a type of sugar that has been shown in a clinical trial to be effective for urinary tract infections (UTI) in women, at a dose similar to that in Uqora Flush.
A separate medical review published in the European Urology Focus journal analyzed six different studies on the efficacy of d-mannose for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections.
The researchers found that d-mannose supplementation reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections and improved patient quality of life.
Citric acid is an inactive ingredient that we recommend avoiding, because it may contribute to whole-body inflammation in some individuals according to a series of medical case reports.
Overall, we believe that Uqora Flush may be effective for preventing UTI due to the inclusion of d-mannose, but we do not currently recommend this supplement due to the inclusion of calcium and citric acid.
Does Uqora Cause Side Effects?
Uqora's supplements don't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to determine the risk of side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredients.
We've reviewed every active ingredient in Uqora's three supplements and we do not consider the supplements likely to cause side effects.
They contain vitamins and minerals, a type of sugar, and probiotics.
These are well-studied and non-toxic ingredients.
There do not appear to be any mentions of side effects in the product pages on the brand's website at the time of updating this article.
Uqora Defend Review
The ingredients in Uqora Defend, which was previously branded as "Uqora Control," are shown below:
image source: https://uqora.com/
The brand claims that this supplement “cleanses biofilm” and “strengthens the bladder wall.”
D-mannose is included at a lower dose of 600 milligrams (mg); less than one-third of that in Uqora Flush.
We consider this an underdosed and likely ineffective amount, given that the dose found effective in the clinical trial was 1,500 mg.
Vitamin D3 is included, and the only clinical trial on vitamin D for the prevention of UTI that we can locate found used a dose of 20,000 IU, or 13.33x the amount in Uqora Defend.
Green tea extract is an ingredient we recommend avoiding.
Health Canada reports that use of green tea extract may be associated with a slightly increased risk of liver injury.
A human observational study linked increased green tea consumption to reduced incidence of UTI, so it may be a better option to just drink whole green tea.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation should be safe and non-toxic.
Overall, we do not currently recommend Uqora Defend because we don't consider it likely to be effective, and due to the inclusion of green tea extract.
Uqora Promote Review
The ingredients in Uqora Promote are shown below:
image source: https://uqora.com/
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus reuteri are all probiotics.
A medical study on probiotics for UTIs found no statistically significant difference in the groups taking Lactobacillus probiotics versus groups taking placebo pills, but after filtering out ineffective strains, they found that taking probiotics was more effective than placebo.
Uqora only publishes the probiotic species and not the specific probiotic strains, which makes it more challenging to determine whether or not this supplement is likely to be effective.
We do not currently recommend Uqora Promote, but we consider this to be the healthiest of the three formulations, because it doesn't contain any unhealthy ingredients, and because probiotics can support gut health.
Uqora vs. Popular UTI Products
Here's how Uqora compares to other popular UTI products in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
FemiClear
This is a topical, homeopathic product applied to the vagina.
Homeopathy has been consistently proven to be ineffective in large-scale research studies.
Uqora is more likely to be effective, because the brand uses research-backed active ingredients, and does not utilize homeopathic formulations.
Winner: Uqora
URO
URO Vaginal Probiotic contains research-backed ingredients and no unhealthy additives.
We believe this supplement is more likely to be effective than Uquora for supporting optimal vaginal health, and also is a healthier choice overall.
Winner: URO
Semaine
Contains cranberry, which is clinically shown to reduce the risk of UTI.
Also contains fewer inactive ingredients that we consider potentially unhealthy.
Semaine has the advantage from both a potential efficacy and health standpoint.
Winner: Semaine
Our Clean Vaginal Health Picks
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top omega-3 supplement pick.
Oral supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has been clinically shown to relieve vaginal dryness in some individuals.
MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top vitamin D3 supplement.
A 2015 meta-analysis reported that treatment of vitamin D deficiency "is an effective method in the treatment of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis."
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Uqora Pros and Cons
Pros:
- All products analyzed contain research-backed ingredients
- D-mannose can help prevent UTIs
- Some probiotic species can help prevent UTIs
- Uqora Promote has no unhealthy ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Flush contains citric acid
- Flush contains calcium
- Defend contains green tea extract
- Promote fails to document the probiotic strains used
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Less healthy than some competitors
