Trim down and dry up?
27 July 2010
What many Australian continence nurses have known for some time has now been proven in a US study released recently: a fairly small amount of weight loss can significantly reduce (and perhaps cure) a bladder leakage problem. It showed that losing 5-10% body weight over 6 months was linked to "significant and sustained reductions in urinary incontinence"*.
Reported in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal, the study showed that women with stress (pressure) or urge incontinence were 4 times more likely to reduce urine leakage episodes by 70%. Further, these great results were shown to benefit women no matter how overweight they were. It's strong evidence for losing weight as a first-line treatment for stress or urge incontinence.
Of course, the benefits of weight loss don't stop at bladder control. The Continence Foundation of Australia says that, for some women, the fear of a urine leakage problem could prove to be a bigger impetus to weight loss than fear of other major health conditions. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and certain forms of cancer are strongly linked to being overweight or obese, so losing weight may be the single best thing you can do for your health. It's also an important factor for improving quality of life, a key issue for Australians with incontinence and their at-home carers.
*Wing et al, 2010 ‘Improving urinary incontinence in overweight and obese women through modest weight loss', Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol.116, issue 2, part 1, pp.284-292.
