A study published in the Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition indicated that overactive bladder syndrome — a condition in which a person experiences a sudden and frequent urge to urinate, sometimes accompanied by urinary incontinence — significantly affects quality of life and becomes more common with age, particularly among women.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 23,000 Americans under the age of 65 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2018, to assess their adherence to a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, and compared this to the prevalence of overactive bladder.
The results showed that the higher the dietary adherence score, the lower the rates of the syndrome. Even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, weight, income, education, chronic diseases, and unhealthy habits, the risk was 17% lower among participants who adhered most closely to the diet compared to those who followed a less balanced diet.
The researchers also noted that the relationship between diet and risk of developing the disease was not entirely linear, with the effect of diet being more pronounced among people with lower incomes.
The researchers noted that, given the limitations of drug treatments, dietary interventions may constitute a low-cost and sustainable approach to preventing and treating the symptoms of overactive bladder.
