Caffeine linked to leaky bladder

Oh this is just what I needed to read. Women who drink about four or more cups of coffee a day, or about ten cans of soda pop, have an increased risk of leaky bladder. The joy of early morning java is over.

Researchers have found that women with the highest caffeine intake were more likely to experience urinary incontinence over a period of four years. That’s 19 percent more likely. This is depressing.

For the most caffeinated group, they experienced urge incontinence. That’s the experience of sudden leakage after an overwhelming urge to pee. Luckily for me, the findings, published in the Journal of Urology, don’t prove a causal relationship between caffeine and a weak bladder.

“We only observed an increased risk of urinary incontinence among women with the highest intakes of caffeine -- that is women who consumed about four or more cups of coffee per day,” said Dr. Mary K. Townsend, one of the researchers. I’m wondering, “Do three large cups count?”

They found no leakiness among women with lower consumption of caffeine.

Until more studies are done, researchers aren’t prepared to give any advice where caffeine intake is concerned. And that’s good news for me because I’m not prepared to listen.

Source: Journal of Urology, Reuters