Weight Loss to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Overweight and Obese Women

Subak LL, Wing Rena, West DS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:481-490.

Objective

To determine whether a behavioral weight-reduction intervention for overweight and obese women with incontinence would decrease the frequency of incontinence episodes at 6 months as compared with a control group.

Methods

338 women, aged 53 ±11 years, with at least 10 urinary incontinence episodes per week with a mean BMI of 36 ± 6, were randomly assigned to an intensive 6-month weight loss program that included diet, exercise, and behavior modification, or to a structured four-session education program (control group). The participants in the weight loss program were given a reduced calorie diet (1200-1500 kcal per day) and were advised to replace 2 meals a day during the first four months and one meal a day for months Four to Six with a Slim-Fast^® meal replacement product.

Results

After 6 months, the women in the weight loss group lost an average of 8% of body weight from baseline, compared with 1.6% in the control group. Women in the weight loss group also had an average decrease in the total number of incontinence episodes per week of 47.4%, compared to the control group with 28.1%.

Summary

Overweight and obese women with stress, urge, or mixed incontinence may benefit from moderate weight loss.

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