A leaky bladder in diabetics could be prevented through weight loss, says study

Thu, 02 Feb 2012
Diabetic women who are overweight could reduce the risk of having a leaky bladder if they manage to lose some of their excess pounds, as well as helping them manage their condition better and lessen the likelihood of heart disease.

Being overweight and having type 2 diabetes are both risk factors for urinary incontinence. Weight loss therefore is particularly useful for overweight diabetic women, and this study on 2,739 middle-aged and older women, published in the Journal of Urology, showed that for such women who start to diet and take more exercise lost an average of 17 pounds in a year.

As well as weight loss, the diet and exercise programme also revealed the women experienced a reduced chance of developing incontinence. During one year, just 10.5 per cent of women who carried out the diet and exercise had new problems with urine leakage, as compared to 14 per cent of women who did not make these changes.

Lead researcher Suzanne Phelan commented "Overweight and obese women with type 2 diabetes should consider weight loss as a way to reduce their risk of developing urinary incontinence."

It was revealed that those women who did make changes to their lifestyle did not need to lose a great deal of weight before their risk of incontinence improved. The problem of urinary incontinence is common for many mothers, as vaginal childbirth is also known to be a major risk factor for the condition.

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