Green tea drinking is inversely associated with urinary incontinence in middle-aged and older women.

AIMS

To investigate the association between green tea consumption and urinary incontinence among middle-aged and older women.

METHODS

Three hundred community-dwelling women aged 40-75 years were recruited in middle and southern Japan. A validated food frequency questionnaire was administered face-to-face to obtain information on dietary intake and habitual tea and coffee consumption. Urinary incontinence status was ascertained using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form.

RESULTS

The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 27.5% among 298 eligible participants. The 82 women who leaked urine tended to drink less green tea (daily mean intake 622, SD 554 ml) than others without the condition (daily mean intake 757, SD 571 ml), P = 0.04. Relative to non-drinkers, the adjusted odds ratios of urinary incontinence were 0.37 (95% CI 0.15-0.91) for drinking more than 700 ml and 0.34 (95% CI 0.13-0.88) for drinking 4 or more cups daily. The corresponding dose-response relationships for these quantity (P = 0.04) and frequency (P = 0.01) of intake were significant. However, association with black tea, oolong tea and coffee consumption was not evident.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggested an inverse association between urinary incontinence and habitual green tea consumption in middle-aged and older women.