Doctors often advise patients to lose weight if they’re at risk of developing certain conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease or cancer. It has been shown that obesity not only leads to these conditions but it also prevents people with them from getting better. Therefore, having a normal weight is the best way you can stay away from trouble.

 

It is common sense that women are more prone to obesity than men, which increases their risk of developing the above-mentioned conditions. Now, according to a new study, they have one more reason to start losing weight. According to researchers from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, weight loss and lifestyle changes can control urinary incontinence in a very efficient way.

 

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. The condition can range from leaking a small amount of urine to having very strong urges to urinate that are difficult to control. Million of adults in the United States are suffering from urinary incontinence, although the condition can also affect younger people, especially women who have just given birth.

 

Common causes of temporary urinary incontinence are limited mobility, childbirth, medication side effects, or urinary tract infection. When the condition is chronic factors like bladder muscle weakness, brain or spinal cord injury, nerve disorder, pelvic floor muscle weakness, vaginal prolapse and blocked urethra (due to benign prostate hyperplasia, tumor, etc.) also add to the equation.

 

The study, called the Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE), showed there is a great chance for women with urinary incontinence to improve if they lose weight. The study involved 338 women, clinically overweight or obese who had episodes of incontinence 10 or more times each week.

 

The women were divided into two groups: one of them was assigned to an intensive six-month weight-loss program including diet, exercise, and behavior modification while the other group received information about diet and exercise but were given no additional help losing weight.

 

At the end of the study, women in the first group lost an average of 8 percent of their body weight (about 17 pounds) and weekly urinary incontinence episodes were cut by 47 percent. On the other hand, women in the second group lost an average of 1.6 percent of their body weight and experienced only 28 percent fewer episodes of incontinence.

 

“It has been well documented that behavioral weight-loss interventions decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, improve control of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve mood and quality of life. Our results suggest that a decrease in urinary incontinence can now be added to the extensive list of health benefits associated with weight loss,” said Leslee L. Subak, MD, lead author on the study and associate professor in the obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences; urology, and epidemiology and biostatistics departments at UCSF.

 

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was funded by the Office of Research on Women’s Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases, jointly.