Drinking cranberry juice has long been a home remedy for women who tend to develop urinary tract infections, or UTIs. Now, a global study, published in the Cochrane Reviews, has determined that cranberry juice and supplements do reduce the risk of repeat symptomatic UTIs in women by more than a quarter.

According to a news release from Flinders University in Australia, cranberries further slashed the risk of repeat UTIs in children by half and in people susceptible to UTI following medical interventions by about 53%. That’s the result of findings by medical scientists who looked at 50 trials that included nearly 9,000 participants. The study debunked previous research that found no beneficial effect of cranberries on UTIs.

“This incredible result really didn’t surprise us, as we’re taught that when there’s more and better evidence, the truth will ultimately come out. UTIs are horrible and very common; about a third of women will experience one, as will many elderly people and also people with bladder issues from spinal cord injury or other conditions,” said lead author and epidemiologist Gabrielle Williams. “Cranberry products can help some women prevent UTIs.”

Fellow study author Jacqueline Stephens says that if the UTI persists untreated it can travel to the kidneys and cause more pain and complications, including sepsis in very severe cases. So, prevention is important.

“Most UTIs are effectively, and pretty quickly, treated with antibiotics,” she says. “Unfortunately, in some people UITs keep coming back.” Stephens says that centuries ago, Native Americans reportedly ate cranberries for bladder problems, leading to current research on their benefits. She added that few people in the review reported any side effects from using cranberry products.

According to Study Finds, the new research doesn’t mean that cranberries replace antibiotics in treating UTIs and didn’t find any benefits for older adults, pregnant women, or people with bladder emptying problems. The authors said more studies are necessary to see who benefits the most from this home remedy.

“We have shown the efficacy of cranberry products for the treatment of UTIs using all the evidence published on this topic since the mid-nineties. The earlier versions of this review did not have enough evidence to determine efficacy and subsequent trials showed varied results, but in this updated review the volume of data has shown this new finding,” said Dr. Jonathan Craig, a study author and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine & Public Health at Flinders University.