Does what you drink affect your risk of urinary incontinence?

Newswise — Cleveland, Ohio (December 14, 2022) — Nearly 20% of women over the age of 50 suffer from urinary incontinence. Many factors influence the risk of urinary incontinence in women.Despite some commonly believed misconceptions, new research suggests that drinking artificially sweetened beverages does not significantly affect a woman’s chances of developing the condition. The study results will be published online today menopauseJournal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Urinary incontinence, defined as loss of bladder control and unintentional leakage of urine, is not only embarrassing, but is associated with significant comorbidities including cognitive impairment, functional decline, falls, fractures, stroke, depression, and overall poor quality of life. is also related. of life. Classified into what is called stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence, it is estimated to account for more than $60 billion in annual direct costs in the United States alone.

Although there is anecdotal evidence that some foods and drinks, such as artificially sweetened beverages, are thought to adversely affect the bladder and lower urinary tract, there are no actual studies confirming a link between urinary incontinence and artificial sweeteners. Very little (although there is a rat model, which shows that artificial sweeteners promote detrusor contraction). This new study, based on an analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, which included more than 80,000 women, specifically sought to examine the association between artificially sweetened beverages and urinary incontinence symptoms. We also aimed to identify which type of urinary incontinence (stress or urge) was most associated.

The study concluded that neither stress nor urge incontinence was associated with consumption of artificially sweetened beverages.

Findings from the study are published in the article “Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Urinary Incontinence – Secondary Analyzes of Women’s Health Initiative Observational Studies”.

“This study is important in that it may lead clinicians counseling women with urinary incontinence to focus more on behavior modification, such as total intake, rather than on the type of beverages consumed. In addition, given the multiple potential adverse health effects associated with the consumption of sugar-containing beverages, counseling should be directed away from avoidance of artificially sweetened beverages,” said NAMS Medical Director. Dr. Stephanie Forbion says:

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Founded in 1989, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is North America’s leading nonprofit dedicated to promoting the health and quality of life of all women in middle age and beyond through understanding menopause and healthy aging. It’s a group. With its multidisciplinary membership of 2,000 leaders in the field, including experts in the clinical and basic sciences of medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacology, and education, NAMS is uniquely qualified to serve as the definitive resource for medical professionals and healthcare professionals. Publish accurate, unbiased information about menopause and healthy aging. For more information on NAMS, please visit www.menopause.org.