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.
In this article we’ll review the ingredients in Uqora’s three supplements based on medical research to give our take on whether they're likely to improve urinary tract health or if they're a waste of money. The supplements are called Flush, Defend and Promote.
We'll also explain whether we consider Uqora supplements likely to cause side effects, and share a real user review.
Uqora Flush Review
Uqora’s most popular supplement is called Flush and comes in powder form. It was previously branded as "Uqora Target." The brand claims this supplement 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.
The formulation of this product consists of a vitamin and mineral blend, along with 2 grams (g) of a type of sugar called d-mannose.
D-mannose 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 Target. We consider this to be an effective ingredient.
A separate medical review published in the European Urology Focus journal analyzed 6 different studies on the efficacy of d-mannose for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections. The researchers found that mannose reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections and improved patient quality of life.
Uqora Flush also contains added vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin B6.
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.
This supplement also contains the added ingredient citric acid that we recommend avoiding, because it may contribute to whole-body inflammation in some patients according to a series a medical case reports.
Overall, we do believe this supplement may be effective for treating UTI due to the inclusion of d-mannose, but we would not recommend it because of the additive ingredients.
We do not understand why consumers would need to "flush" the urinary tract, or what that means, or why consumers would need to increase urinary flow. We recommend that individuals avoid this supplement until Uqora clarifies its purpose.
Uqora Defend Review
Uqora sells a supplement called Defend which was previously branded as "Uqora Control." The brand claims that this supplement “cleanses biofilm” and “strengthens the bladder wall.”
Defend also contains d-mannose, but 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.
Defend also contains 1,500 International Units (IU) of vitamin D3. While vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of UTI, the only clinical trial on vitamin D for the prevention of UTI that we can locate found it to be effective, but the dose used was 20,000 IU, or 13.33x the amount in Uqora Defend.
Defend contains a turmeric and black pepper extract blend at respective dosages of 200 mg and 10 mg. We cannot find any medical studies suggesting these ingredients disrupt biofilm production or prevent UTI.
Green tea extract is the final ingredient in Defend. This 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.
We do not consider this supplement likely to prevent UTI, and again we don't understand the brand's claim of "cleanses biofilm" -- why do consumers need to "cleanse" the biofilm in their gut and how does Uqora's supplement achieve this? In our opinion this is an unscientific claim.
Uqora Promote Review
Uqora’s third supplement is called Promote and contains three active ingredients, all of which are probiotic strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus reuteri.
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.
Because Uqora only publishes the probiotic species and not the specific probiotic strains, we cannot determine whether this supplement is likely to be effective.
We would not recommend this supplement because we cannot identify any medical studies suggesting its ingredients are effective for UTI prevention, and we urge Uqora to publish the specific probiotic strains rather than just the species. Different strains of probiotics, even within the same species, can have different effects.
Uqora Real User Review
One of the most popular YouTube reviews of Uqora is published by a channel called "Reagan Hart." The creator states that she actually had a UTI and used Uqora products in an attempt to treat it, and shares her results:
Does Uqora Cause Side Effects?
Uqora supplements have never been studied in a clinical trial at the time of updating this article, so the only way to determine if they're likely to cause side effects is based on an ingredient review.
We've already reviewed every active ingredient in Uqora 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 active ingredients.
Our Clean Vaginal Health Picks
Clairvee by Bonafide is our top probiotic supplement pick for vaginal health, because it contains 5 billion CFU of Lactobacillus probiotics.
Oral supplementation with Lactobacillus probiotics improved the ratio of healthy-to-unhealthy bacteria in the vagina in a clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal.
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."
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
