Coffee consumption and male urinary incontinence

Abstract

To investigate whether coffee consumption is associated with urinary incontinence in men, a total of 725 men aged 40 - 75 years were recruited from the community in central and southern Japan. A validated food frequency questionnaire was administered face-to-face to obtain information on dietary intake and habitual coffee consumption. Urinary incontinence status was ascertained using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form. Among the 710 eligible participants the mean age was 62.5 years. Sixty-two men (8.7%) experienced urine leakage for a mean (SD) of 2.6 (1.8) years. The prevalence of coffee drinking was 48/59 (81.4%) in those with urinary incontinence, which was slightly higher than those without urinary incontinence 497/645 (77.1%). Relative to non-drinkers, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of urinary incontinence were 1.99 (0.68 to 5.87) for drinking more than 350 ml and 1.66 (0.71 to 3.91) for drinking two or more cups daily. Thus, the point estimates suggest an increased risk of urinary incontinence in relation to the quantity and frequency of coffee intake but this was not statistically significant. We found no evidence of an association between habitual coffee consumption and urinary incontinence in middle-aged and older Japanese men. Further studies are required to examine the association of coffee drinking with urinary incontinence in men and the potential to improve continence by changing coffee consumption.