If you are like several of my patients, you may have an overactive bladder that keeps you rushing to the bathroom to urinate frequently. Some people have smaller bladder capacity than others and therefore naturally have to urinate more. Other people may be eating certain foods that can irritate their bladder and cause the urge to urinate. I’d like to explain what some of these foods are and what you can do to minimize your “ongoing” problems.

Overactive bladder – what is it?

Overactive bladder is a mild to severe condition that can not only become a nuisance by always creating the need to find a bathroom while in public, but it can also have some embarrassing consequences. It is also a condition that can be accompanied by something called “urge incontinence,” or UI, where you have to go so bad that you just can’t stand it and urine seeps into your clothes; or “stress incontinence,” or SI, where you have involuntary loss of urine through laughing or sneezing. Usually UI and SI are just variant symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome that can also include nocturia (waking up at night to urinate) and frequent, just “going” a lot throughout the day.

As mentioned above, overactive bladder can be caused by a few things including:

• A congenitally small bladder that has less holding capacity than most people
• A “neurogenic bladder” – caused by damage or pressure, pinching of the nerves in the spine that can occur in certain medical conditions such as spinal injuries, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, MS, and stroke, which can lead to emptying involuntary bladder. .
• Certain medications used to treat other conditions, such as diuretics for high blood pressure or medications that contain caffeine.
• Hormonal. The decrease in estrogen at menopause can cause the muscles of the bladder and urethra to weaken and sag forward, resulting in more frequent urination and leakage. In men, an enlarged prostate can also cause frequent urination.
• Constipation. The pressure of retained waste in the rectum can aggravate the bladder.
• Obesity. Too much belly fat can also put pressure on the bladder.

However, the most common cause of an overactive bladder is the simple foods that we eat every day. These are foods that contain certain compounds that can irritate the bladder and sometimes lead to chronic inflammatory disease. The bladder tries to eliminate these irritants by causing frequent urination. Here is a list of the top bladder trigger foods:

• Tomato Products – Tomato-based products generally contain a lot of acid and can be very irritating to the bladder. In an attempt to get rid of the irritant, the bladder tries to flush itself with frequent urination.
• Caffeine – A stimulant present in coffee and tea can greatly irritate the bladder and make you go more. Decaffeinated varieties can help, but they also have very small amounts of caffeine.
• Chocolate – it also contains caffeine and other compounds such as theobromines that can irritate the bladder. White chocolate has less caffeine but still has some. Try to reduce the amount of chocolate you consume.
• Citric fruit – also very acidic, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, they can also irritate the bladder like tomatoes. Try to cut back on citrus fruits and supplement with an Ester-C type of vitamin C to avoid further irritation.
• Beer, wine, hard liquor – The “spirits” draw more water from your body to process it through the kidneys and make you urinate more.
• Carbonation – sodas, champagne, tonic water, all contain carbonation that can trigger your bladder and cause you to urinate frequently.
• Hot spices – like cayenne pepper, jalapeño, especially when paired with tomato, can really keep you going into the bathroom. The spice itself not only irritates your bladder, it also prompts you to drink a lot more cold liquids to wash it off.
• Sweeteners – Real sugar, honey, and artificial sweeteners like Equal, Splenda, and Sweet N’Low can also overstimulate the bladder.
• Condoms / Spices – Monosodium glutamate, salt, pepper, other cooking spices, and certain herbs like oregano and dill also have a diuretic action that can make you urinate more often.
• Onions, blueberry – like tomatoes, they have an acid base, which can irritate the bladder. However, blueberries can also help keep the bladder free of bacteria by neutralizing it with the compounds it contains and eliminating them.

What can you do to slow down your gait?

The best recommendation I give my patients who seem to have overactive bladder symptoms from food sources is to do the following:

• Keep track of your symptoms and the foods that seem to irritate them the most. Then try reducing the amount, or eliminating, these foods altogether to reduce your frequency of urination.
• Keep drinking the recommended amount of water daily, usually eight 8-ounce glasses a day, or more if you are sweating a lot. Adequate water intake dilutes the urine so that if you eat some of these foods, they will be less irritating to the bladder.

If you have symptoms of an overactive bladder, visit your doctor for an evaluation and determine if there is a medical condition behind it, such as those mentioned above. However, if you are like my patients, the foods and drinks you eat every day are most likely causing overactive bladder symptoms. To control your “on the go” problems, try the recommendations mentioned above, noting what foods you eat and what your symptoms are. Keep drinking the recommended amount of water to flush out irritants and keep everyone else healthy too!