Weight Loss Can Decrease Urinary Incontinence
Overweight Women Showed Results with Diet and Exercise
Jan 28, 2009
Urinary incontinence is a medical condition that affects more than 13 million women in the United States but research suggests that losing weight helps, according to information released by researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) and the University of California in San Francisco.
Urinary Incontinence
According to WebMD, the main causes of urinary incontinence are stress incontinence and overactive bladder. In stress incontinence, urine may leak when the woman laughs or coughs. In overactive bladder, or urge incontinence, urinary muscle spasms cause urgency to urinate. Incontinence can also be caused by multiple pregnancies, genetic weakness and being overweight.
If overweight is a factor in the incontinence, weight loss can help to relieve symptoms. If a woman is overweight and is not sure whether weight loss will help, a program of diet and exercise can also help toward improvement in general health.
Research on Weight Loss and Incontinence
Starting a weight loss regimen can reduce urinary incontinence for women according to researchers.
Researchers conducted a study, whose results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to a written press release, a six month program of diet, exercise and behavior modification resulted in a weight loss of 17 pounds and a reduction of incontinence episodes of 47% during a week long period.
In another group of subjects, the study participants were given an information only program of diet and exercise without any direct weight loss training. The subjects that were only given information lost three pounds and their incontinence episodes were lessened by 28 percent.
The study included 338 overweight and obese women who experienced up to ten incontinence episodes per week.
The women who were on a program that included diet, exercise and behavior modification were reportedly more satisfied with the improvements than the women who were just given the weight loss information.
"Earlier research has shown that behavioral weight-loss programs have many benefits, including decreasing blood pressure and helping to fight off diabetes. Here we've shown that weight loss has measureable impact on reduced incontinence," said Frank Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., a UAB professor in the School of Public Health and a co-author on the NEJM study.
The study was a partnership with UAB, the University of California, San Francisco; Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Funding is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), both part of the National Institutes of Health.
Resources
WebMd
UAB Press Release January 28, 2009, EurekAlert
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