The latest issue of the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ carries a report that indicates losing weight helps ease the symptoms of incontinence experienced by as many as 13 million American women.  Incontinence, or the loss of control of the bladder, can be caused by many situations, including aging muscles that control the bladder, irritation, or infection, and female-specific issues such as pregnancy and childbirth.

The study, called the Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE), behind the report involved 338 women, clinically overweight or obese, who experienced episodes of incontinence 10 or more times each week.  Weight loss was the focus of study and each woman was randomly assigned to one of two groups that approached weight reduction in different ways.

One group was enrolled in an intensive weight-loss program that lasted six months and involved diet, exercise, and behavior modification.  The second group got only information pertaining to diet and exercise.  They received no behavior modification training nor were they enrolled in a structured weight-loss program.

After six months, the group actively pursuing weight loss had shed an average of 17 pounds each, or about 8% of their original body weight.  The group getting information only lost about 3 pounds each, or about 1.6% of body weight.

Episodes of urinary incontinence dropped by 47% in the group losing the most weight but only 28% in the group losing less.  This finding leads to the conclusion that weight loss provides an impact on urinary incontinence that is both positive and significant.

The PRIDE study was conducted in Birmingham, Alabama, and Providence, Rhode Island.  It was conducted and funded by the Office of Research on Women’s Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.