Qualifying question:
Are you a woman? Are you overweight?
Your answer:
Yes!
Answer: Lose weight!
Why?
Losing wieght has been shown to reduce incontinence.
Obese and overweight women who leaked urine at least 10 times per week were randomly assigned to either an intensive six-month weight-loss program of diet, exercise and behaviour modification or to a group that received information about diet and exercise, but no training to help them change habits.
By the end of the six months, women in the intensive weight-loss group had lost an average 8 percent of their body weight (about 17 pounds) and had reduced their weekly urinary incontinence episodes by nearly one-half (47 percent). In contrast, women in the information-only group lost an average 1.6 percent of body weight (about 3 pounds) and had 28 percent fewer episodes.
Twice as many women in the weight-loss group (41%) reduced the number of incontinent incidents by at least 70 percent compared with women in the information-only group ( 22%).
Click here to read a summary of the study:
(Source: National Institutes of Health : Subak LL, Grady D, Wing R, Smith West D, Franklin F. New England Journal of Medicine. : February 2009)
How to apply this knowledge?
There are so many good reasons for losing weight – and fixing an embarrassing incontinence problem might just be the clincher for you and your incontinent women friends to decide to lose some kilos. Spread the word!
For some tips on wigh to lose weight go to ….
And ffor some tips on how to keep the weight loss from coming back, go to…
