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Acidic fruit intake in relation to incidence and progression of urinary incontinence

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Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis

Acidic fruits are commonly cited in the lay press as potential bladder irritants that may promote urinary incontinence (UI), but no epidemiologic studies have examined this issue. We hypothesized that higher intake of acidic fruits might be related to greater risk of UI incidence and progression in women.

Methods

In one set of analyses, we included women without UI at study baseline in the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS), with 34,144 women aged 54–79 in NHS I and 31,024 women aged 37–54 in NHS II. These cohorts were established among women living in the USA. Incident UI was ascertained over 4 years of follow-up, and acidic fruit consumption was measured by food frequency questionnaire prior to UI onset. In a second set of analyses, we examined UI progression over 2 years of follow-up among 11,764 women in NHS I and 11,299 women in NHS II with existing UI. Multivariable-adjusted relative risks were calculated for the associations of acidic fruit intake and UI incidence and progression.

Results

We found no relation between acidic fruit intake and risk of developing UI, including urgency, mixed, and stress UI. In addition, there was no association between consumption of acidic fruits and UI progression, regardless of UI type.

Conclusions

No associations were detected between acidic fruit intake and UI in this large, prospective study of women. These data have implications for the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines around acidic fruits and UI, particularly because acidic fruits likely have many health benefits.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (DK62438, CA87969, CA50385).

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Room 452, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Mary K. Townsend, Elizabeth E. Devore & Francine Grodstein

  2. Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Neil M. Resnick

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Francine Grodstein

Authors
  1. Mary K. Townsend
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  2. Elizabeth E. Devore
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  3. Neil M. Resnick
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  4. Francine Grodstein
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth E. Devore.

Additional information

M.K. Townsend and E.E. Devore contributed equally to this manuscript.

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Townsend, M.K., Devore, E.E., Resnick, N.M. et al. Acidic fruit intake in relation to incidence and progression of urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J 24, 605–612 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-012-1914-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-012-1914-9

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