Maintaining a healthy bladder and keeping it in good working order will help reduce your odds of problems and contribute to optimizing overall health. As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The bladder is amongst the simpler organs in the body, with a straightforward job. It stores urine and eliminates it when we need to. However, simple or not, it is subject to a number of possible problems including cystitis, cancer, and incontinence.
How to Maintain a Healthy Bladder
Consuming the right quantity and type of fluid should be first on the list. It is not just a cliché that drinking plain old water is very healthy. It is a well-researched fact that should be obvious although some reasons may not be so apparent.
Water is used by nearly every chemical reaction within the body and it also plays a role in determining blood pressure. Excess fluids tend to increase it, which in turn has an effect, on how well the bladder performs its proper function.
But the right type of fluid together with solids, and some other things in between, affect the odds of bladder cancer. Increasingly well-founded studies suggest a link between phytochemicals and cancer prevention. Those are compounds that come from the skins of brightly or intensely colored fruits such as cranberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Both the juice and pulp near the skin are rich in those phytochemicals.
Diet for a Healthy Bladder
Diet also plays a role in reducing the odds and severity of interstitial cystitis, which is an inflammation of the bladder. Consuming less caffeine helps your odds although the specific amount will vary from person to person. It is a known bladder irritant and is one of the factors that can lead to interstitial cystitis.
While citrus fruits are generally seen as health promoting, they can contribute to bladder problems when consumed far in excess of recommended amounts.
Similarly, alcoholic drinks can also irritate the bladder. Having said that, alcohol in moderation can have definite health benefits, thanks to anti-oxidants in them and the alcohol itself. The same applies to chocolate, yogurt, and even bananas, all of which are healthy in the right amounts.
Excess leads not only to degraded general health, but also to a less than healthy bladder in particular. Everything in moderation is the key.
A diet that promotes muscle health overall will also benefit the bladder. While the bladder is made of somewhat different tissues, the sphincter muscles surrounding it play a crucial role in regulating urination. Degraded function of these ring-like muscles that allow us to hold back leads to incontinence. Keeping them in good working order helps control bladder function.
To do that, a muscle-friendly diet is best. That will include the correct amounts of calcium. That number will vary with weight, age, and other factors but ranges from 800 mg for children four to eight years old up to 1,500 mg for those fifty and over. Plentiful and varied amino acids are also beneficial since they are the building blocks of protein, a prime ingredient in muscles.
Maintaining a healthy bladder with a good diet and you will lower your odds of infection, cancer, and other problems.