The question: Might losing weight make urinary incontinence less of a problem for women affected by loss of bladder control?
This study: It randomly assigned 338 overweight or obese women (average age 53) with chronic urinary incontinence to participate in a weight-loss program with diet, exercise and behavioral components or in a program that provided only information on weight loss, physical activity and healthy eating. Both programs included one-hour weekly group meetings, and all participants were given a booklet with instructions on improving bladder control. Six months later, the active weight-loss group had lost, on average, 17 pounds, compared with a three-pound average loss for the others. Incontinence episodes had declined by 47 percent for women in the weight-loss group, compared with 28 percent for the others.
Who may be affected? Women, who are twice as likely as men to suffer either stress incontinence, when urine leaks are brought on by such activity as sneezing, or urge incontinence, when urine is leaked unexpectedly.
Caveats: Data on incontinence were based on records kept by the participants.
Find this study: Jan. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Learn more: www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov.
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