Overactive bladder (OAB) is a medical condition where one feels a sudden and unstoppable need to urinate. There are several causes associated with OAB, including nerve damage, weakened pelvic muscles, excess weight gain, diuretic medications, change in diet, excessive intake of alcohol or caffeine, urinary tract infections, older age, diabetes, and neurological disorders.

Although OAB symptoms may vary from one person to another, the most common ones include the uncontrollable need to empty your bladder, nocturia, incontinence including urge, stress, mixed, functional, and overflow incontinence. Studies have proven that OAB is more common in women than men. The following are foods that trigger overactive bladder:

1. Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks, including wine, liquor, and beer, are diuretics, meaning they increase urine production in the body, causing frequent visits to the washroom. When you take in an alcoholic drink, it suppresses the areas of the brain that releases vasopressin. In normal conditions, vasopressin causes the reabsorption of filtered fluids from the kidneys to the body and regulates water retention. If the amount of vasopressin is low, the body will not reabsorb much fluid from the kidneys, causing increased urine production. Alcoholic drinks can also cause dehydration, which irritates the bladder.

2. Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners increase your visits to the washroom. They include aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame, and saccharin. They cause your bladder muscles to become hyperactive, making you feel the urge to urinate frequently. The condition slowly wears out your bladder, making it prone to Urinary Tract Infections.

3. Carbonated drinks

Carbonated beverages like soda water, soft drinks, and energy drinks should be avoided by those experiencing OAB symptoms. Too much intake of these drinks overwhelms your bladder and creates a strong sense to urinate, worsening the OAB symptoms. Carbonated drinks also contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which becomes gas once introduced to warm body temperatures. The gas causes the belching of the stomach as the stomach stretches to accommodate accumulating carbon dioxide gas.

4. Coffee/caffeine

Coffee/caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes our bladder more active, producing more urine. Once you drink coffee, it makes the body send signals to the pituitary gland to inhibit the production of the ADH hormone. The ADH hormone helps the body reabsorb filtered water from the kidney. Once inhibited, there will be an increase in urine production in the kidney, causing you to urinate every now and then.

5. Cheese

People with OAB symptoms usually complain that milk and dairy products worsen their symptoms. Cheese contains calcium, and too much of it in the blood may result in functional and structural damage of kidneys. Once kidneys are damaged, they cause excessive urination and fatigue. People with interstitial cystitis, the chronic inflammation of bladder walls, may also experience frequent urge to empty their bladders.

6. Spicy foods

Spicy foods cause the inflammation of the lining of the bladder triggering OAB symptoms. This condition makes it hard for one to control urine. Those with OAB symptoms should avoid spicy foods to manage their condition.

Dealing with OAB sometimes can be tiring and frustrating. The condition forces them to avoid social outings and physical activities and even interfere with their everyday activities. AOB is manageable as long as you avoid the above foods, and instead, you start eating foods rich in vitamins, low in acidity and consume a lot of fruits and vegetables.