Eating Disorders and Certain Foods are Associated With a Higher Risk of Urinary Incontinence in Middle-Aged Women

According to a recent study by the University of Jyväskylä, eating behavior is associated with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders in middle-aged women, such as urinary incontinence. For example, excessive consumption of highly processed ready meals and fast food increased the risk of developing symptoms of stress and urge incontinence. In contrast, a higher intake of fruit and a generally higher-quality diet reduced the risk of stress incontinence.

Pelvic Floor Disorders are Common

Stress incontinence is characterized by the involuntary leakage of urine during typical everyday activities, such as coughing, sneezing, and laughing, as well as during certain movements. In the case of urge incontinence, sufferers experience a strong and sudden urge to urinate, with leakage of urine, because they can no longer control the pressure. Previous research studies have shown that the symptoms of SUI are more prevalent in women with a higher body mass index and more births. Other factors include smoking status, history of diabetes, hysterectomy, and hormone therapy. In addition, obesity and multiple births increase the risk of SUI in women.

In general, it can be said that the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders increases as women approach menopause. Estrogen deficiency during menopause, natural aging, reproductive history and factors that increase intra-abdominal pressure can lead to structural and functional disorders of the pelvic floor. Furthermore, lifestyle choices such as diet quality and eating behavior can have a significant impact on the mechanisms of pelvic floor disorders. “Eating behavior as a potential risk factor for pelvic floor disorders has been little studied so far,” says PhD student Mari Kuutti from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. “We investigated how eating disorders may influence the onset of symptoms.”

Eating disorders include overeating, restrictive eating and alternating between the two. The researchers found that women who reported eating disorders were more likely to have symptoms of pelvic floor disorders than those who reported normal eating behavior. The disorders studied were stress incontinence, urge incontinence, fecal incontinence, constipation and problems with defecation.

Pay Attention to Eating Habits if You Suffer from Urinary Incontinence

More than half of all study participants showed symptoms of pelvic floor disorders. Stress incontinence was the most common. The study found that eating habits and the consumption of certain foods are associated with the onset of symptoms of pelvic floor disorders. As a preventive measure, the eating behavior of women at risk of urinary incontinence should be examined and guidance on healthy eating habits should be provided.

The study is part of the ERMA study, which involved over 1,000 women between the ages of 47 and 55 from the Jyväskylä region. The participants reported their eating behavior, demographic factors (age, body mass index, education, physical workload and physical activity), and gynecological factors (pregnancy, parity, menopausal status and hysterectomy) in questionnaires.