A recent research study that looked at nearly ten thousand men aged forty years or older found bladder and urinary issues can be a more common problem than had previously been suspected. The study focused on exercise and activity levels, dividing those in the study based on how active they were compared to how long they spent sitting for long periods. Symptoms such as problems urinating or defecating were tracked, along with any issues that arose with urinary leakage, how often urination was needed, and whether or not there were any sleep interruptions due to a need to urinate.

The findings show that exercise can create a significant swing in the chances of having these sorts of bladder, incontinence, or bathroom problems. Men in the study, which checked back over a two year period, were found to be as much as fifteen percent more likely to develop urinary medical issues if they were very sedentary. Even moderate inactivity still increased their risk. Contrasting against that were the men who stayed active, keeping their exercise and activity levels higher. The active subjects saw their chances of developing the same urinary issues drop almost ten percent.

Time spent sitting, or at least not maintaining a healthy pattern of regular exercise, can influence more than just your cardiac and overall health. It could cause you an embarrassing bathroom problem that leaves you scrambling.

Is there nothing exercise can’t make better? Worried about incontinence? Staying active stops it. 

Key Points:

• Exercise appears to help lower the risk of bladder and urinary tract symptoms in men.
• Prolonged sedentary behavior appears to be an increasing risk factor for many chronic diseases in men.
• Being physically active appears to offer multiple benefits to middle-aged men, including the prevention of bladder problems.