Intensive lifestyle intervention reduces urinary incontinence in overweight/obese men with type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD trial.

Purpose: We determined the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention on the prevalence, incidence and resolution of bothersome nocturia, increased daytime urinary voiding and urinary incontinence in overweight/obese men with type 2 diabetes after 1 year in the Look AHEAD trial.

Materials And Methods: A subset of male Look AHEAD participants was selected for this secondary data analysis. Overall 1,910 men with an average (mean ± SD) age of 59.9 ± 6.7 years and body mass index of 35.2 ± 5.5 kg/m(2) were randomized to an intensive lifestyle intervention or diabetes support and education group. All participants self-reported information regarding incontinence, nocturia and daytime urinary voiding at entry and 1 year.

Results: After 1 year the intensive lifestyle intervention group lost significantly more weight than the diabetes support and education group (9.4% ± 7.0% vs 0.7% ± 4.5%, respectively; p <0.001). The odds of prevalent urinary incontinence at 1 year were reduced by 38% in the intensive lifestyle intervention group compared to the diabetes support and education group. The prevalence of urinary incontinence decreased from 11.3% to 9.0% in the intensive lifestyle intervention group and increased from 9.7% to 11.6% in the diabetes support and education group. The intensive lifestyle intervention group also had increased odds of urinary incontinence resolving (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.04-3.59, p = 0.04 and 56.0% vs 40.7%, p = 0.03) and trend toward reduced odds of new onset, incident urinary incontinence (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.42-1.02, p = 0.06) compared with the diabetes support and education arm. In contrast, no differences between intensive lifestyle intervention and diabetes support and education were seen at 1 year for frequency of nocturia or frequency of daytime voiding.

Conclusions: Intensive lifestyle intervention should be considered for the treatment of urinary incontinence in overweight/obese men with type 2 diabetes.