Modest Weight Loss Benefits Obese Women with Incontinence

Obesity is an established risk factor for urinary incontinence in women, but few data confirm that weight loss will diminish the problem or indicate how much weight loss is required. Researchers randomized 338 obese women (mean age, 53; mean baseline body-mass index, 36 kg/m²; mean weekly number of incontinence episodes, 24) to follow a behavioral weight-loss program featuring a strict low-calorie, low-fat diet (1200–1500 kcal daily) or to attend four classes on standard diet and exercise recommendations. Most participants were white and college educated; exclusion criteria included frequent urinary tract infections and histories of diabetes requiring medication.

At 6 months, dieters lost a mean 8.0% of body weight (7.8 kg), and controls los…