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Urinary Incontinence
The Effects, Treatment and Causes of Overactive Bladder
By Donna Smith
"Dietary modifications for women with incontinence starts with a look at what she is eating and drinking and how often," Dr. Elser says. "Some women drink excessive fluids out of habit, or because they believe that eight to 10 glasses of water a day is 'good for you.' In general, our bodies are pretty smart. When we need water, we will be thirsty. Women with excessive thirst should be evaluated for diabetes. Other women deprive themselves of fluids in an attempt to avoid urinary incontinence. These women don't realize that concentrated urine is very irritating to the bladder and can make incontinence worse."
Highly acidic foods tend to be the ones most irritating to the bladder. "Citrus, tomato, alcohol, caffeine and any bubbly drinks (the bubbles come from carbonic acid), are especially irritating to the bladder and can worsen incontinence," Dr. Elser says. "There are no foods identified that help bladder control, although blueberries, cranberries and lingonberries do help fight bladder infection," she says.
Dr. Eilber emphasizes limiting caffeine and alcohol. "Caffeine, alcohol and excessive fluid intake aggravate incontinence," she says. "Foods that contain these products should be avoided (unfortunately, chocolate has a lot of caffeine!)."
While there are no FDA-approved medications in the United States to treat urinary incontinence, the medications advertised on television can help. "These medications are taken daily and can be very effective in controlling urge incontinence," Dr. Elser says. Unfortunately these medications do not cure the problem.
But the good news, Dr. Elser says, is that new medications are now available that have fewer side effects than older choices. "For women whose lives are controlled by the location of the nearest toilet, a daily medication to suppress urge incontinence can be a blessing in terms of restoring quality of life," she says.
