Incontinence can be a devastating condition, affecting young and old, women and men. When it is first experienced, it can come as a shock. Although your first instinct may be to panic, don’t! Many cases of incontinence can be controlled with a combination of self-help measures. One simple and painless remedy is to keep a log of any episodes of incontinence, then seek a causative agent. Does incontinence occur when you drink or eat something specific? Cutting these culprits out of your diet may be all that is needed to restore continence. What are some of the known contributors to bladder weakness? The following is a short list of foods that may cause or aggravate bladder weakness:

• Alcohol- alcohol is a common culprit. This may due to a diuretic effect, or it may be due to the fact that alcohol may decrease your sensation of needing to urinate. Carbonated spirits may be worse than non-carbonated ones.
• Caffeine- caffeine also acts as a diuretic, as many coffee drinkers will attest to. Drinking caffeinated beverages may increase the number of trips to the washroom you need to take, as well as increasing urgency. Switching to decaf may improve bladder weakness symptoms.
• Spicy foods- spices can irritate the bladder, causing symptoms of urgency and frequency. If spicy foods seem to make your problem worse, try eliminating them for awhile and see what happens.
• Citrus fruits- acidic foods, such as tomatoes, oranges, grapefruits and others can also be irritating to the bladder.
• Artificial sweeteners- aspartame and other artificial sweeteners can be irritating for some people.

Not everyone with bladder weakness will respond to diet changes, but it is a reasonable first step for anyone who develops this common problem. Different foods affect people in different ways, so it is likely that you will have to experiment a little. Keeping a diary of foods eaten and bladder weakness symptoms can be illuminating, costs nothing and may be all that is needed to curb the problem.