High-Calorie, High-Fat Diets Linked to Incontinence

WATERTOWN, Mass.Women who consume high-calorie diets or diets high in saturated fats have an increased risk for urinary incontinence, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers examined intakes of total energy, carbohydrate, protein and fats in relation to UI in a cross-sectional sample of 2,060 women in the population-based Boston Area Community Health Survey (20022005). Data were collected from in-person home interviews and food frequency questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95 percent confidence intervals for the presence of moderate-to-severe UI; a severity index was analyzed in secondary analysis of 597 women with urine leakage.

Greater total energy intake was associated with UI and increased severity. No associations were observed with intake of carbohydrates, protein, or total fat. However, the ratio of saturated fat intake to polyunsaturated fat intake was positively associated with UI and was strongly associated with severity.

The findings suggest dietary changes, particularly decreasing saturated fat relative to polyunsaturated fat and decreasing total calories, could independently account for some of the benefits of weight loss in women with UI.