For obese and overweight women, lose weight can drastically reduce the episodes of incontinence, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Study participants included 338 women, all overweight or obese, which leaked urine at least 10 times in a week. Women were recruited from Birmingham, Ala, and Providence, R.i.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups. A group was placed on an intensive weight loss program that included diet, exercise and behavior modification. The other group received educational information on weight loss, healthy eating and physical activity, but no practical support.
All participants received an educational booklet on urinary incontinence, behavioral techniques and pelvic floor muscle exercises.
At six months, women in the intensive weight loss program lost an average of 8% of their body weight (about 17 pounds) and reduced episodes of weekly urinary incontinence at 47%. Women in the information group only lost an average of 1.6% of body weight (about 3 pounds) and 28% fewer episodes had.
Truvision For Weight Loss - Weight Loss May Reduce Incontinence
Women in the weight loss program reported feeling that incontinence was less than a problem compared to the other group. More were moderately satisfied with the change in his incontinence. Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million women in the US and blames about $ 20 billion in annual health care costs, according to the basic information in studies.
"Studies have documented that behavioral interventions help people lose weight, which helps reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, improve high pressure levels and cholesterol levels, and Improve humor and quality of life, "Research researcher Leslee L. Subak, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, says in a news version. "Our results suggest that a decrease in urinary incontinence is another health benefit associated with weight loss and that weight reduction can be a first-rate treatment in overweight and obese women."
