Sorry for the “TMI” this morning, but here goes: When I was a teenager, I could sleep 13 hour straight without getting up. Now in my 60’s? At least twice I am awakened because of the need to void. The reason? Similar to most guys in their mid 50’s and older, an enlarging prostate leads to increase frequency of urination.
Now, for the females out there 50 and older: Anyone needs to place a pad in her underwear in the event of some urinary leakage? Well, it is estimated that over 50% of women age 50 and above have some form of urinary incontinence. The severity of this may range from slight leakage only when coughing to a much more severe case that occurs under many situations.
Does weight impact on these scenarios for men or women? The answer is “Both”. There is a very strong association in females of weight control and urinary incontinence. For every 5-point increase in BMI, there is a 20-70% increase risk of urinary incontinence in females. Turning to males, obesity causes an increase in prostate size, which in turn, leads to more severe symptoms of prostatism.
So, clearly there is a strong association between weight control and annoying urinary symptoms. If you want less trips to the bathroom take less trips to the pantry!
