Diet and Your Bladder: A Help or Hurt?

You know you need to eat healthy for your heart, waistline and overall health, but you may not realize how your diet also affects bladder health. Certain foods and beverages can either help or hinder bladder conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), interstitial cystitis (IC), overactive bladder and even bladder cancer. "Most of these food and beverage [recommendations] come from anecdotal experiences, meaning that what affects one person may not affect everybody," says Kelly O'Connor, R.D., L.D.N., dietitian with Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., adding that you should always check with your doctor if you're experiencing any bladder problems. Yet some food advice does have research to back it.

Acidic foods: Hurt

Some people report having an increase in bladder problems like irritation and inflammation when they eat acidic foods like tomatoes, pineapple and citrus fruits. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), people with urinary incontinence -- a bladder condition where you can't always control when you urinate, caused by weak pelvic muscles, certain medicines, build-up of stool in the bowels, and problems such as diabetes and congestive heart failure -- may want to watch their acidic food intake. According to the National Women's Health Information Center, people with IC -- a bladder problem that may make you feel like you need to urinate right away, often, or both -- have reported that high-acid foods irritate the bladder. Tomatoes and fruit may also be foods to avoid for those suffering from an overactive bladder -- a condition in which the bladder contracts while it is filling, which can lead to leakage, according to the Cystitis and Overactive Bladder Foundation (COB Foundation).

Highly spicy foods: Hurt

In some people, these foods can irritate the bladder. Again, for the millions of Americans diagnosed with urinary incontinence, hot foods may be an irritant for the condition, advises the AAFP. Same goes to those with overactive bladders. For those with IC, spicy foods can intensify pelvic pain an increase the need to urinate. If this sounds familiar, avoid spicy foods as much as possible.

Water: Helps

For good bladder health in general, everybody should consume six to eight glasses of water a day. "Water helps flush out the bad bacteria in your bladder," O'Connor says. Not drinking enough fluid may increase the risk of bladder cancer, as drinking more and emptying the bladder more frequently keeps unwanted chemicals from lingering in the body. Water can also be useful as a home treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) -- infections in the organs and tubes that process and carry urine out of the body. But for some, controlling their water intake while sticking to six to eight glasses, can help people who suffer from incontinence bring when and where they urinate back into their control.

Alkaline foods: Help

With some bladder problems such as UTIs -- the symptoms of which include, pain or burning during urination, the urge to urinate frequently, the inability to control urination, foul-smelling urine and/or cloudy, reddish or pinkish urine -- the pH of the urine becomes too acidic. To balance that, try eating foods that contain alkaline, including bananas and pears, advises O'Connor.

Broccoli: Helps

Numerous studies have found that broccoli may prevent or slow the progress of bladder cancer. In one study from the journal Cancer Research, freeze-dried broccoli sprouts cut the development of bladder tumors in rats by half. Even broccoli's cruciferous cousins -- like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale -- may have protective benefits.

Yogurt: Helps

Yogurt, specifically with live bacteria called acidophilus, may help maintain the health of the entire digestive tract, which means fewer toxins reach the bladder. Check the label to see if the yogurt contains acidophilus; you might have to veer toward an organic yogurt to find this bladder-benefiting bacteria. Also, aim to eat plain yogurt versus flavored versions, as the sugar in the flavorings could irritate the bladder. Plus, plain yogurts are more likely to contain acidophilus.

Sugar and sugary foods: Hurt

Sugar creates an environment that promotes the growth of bacteria, which is the wrong thing to eat if you're prone to things like UTIs. Very sugary foods are no different. Just don't replace regular sugar with artificial sweeteners, as they may also aggravate your bladder and worsen your symptoms.

Artificial Sweeteners: Hurt

Artificial sweeteners may not be safe for your bladder either. The National Women's Health Information Center reports that IC sufferers noticed that their symptoms worsened after eating or drinking products made with sugar substitutes. If you've got an overactive bladder, the COB Foundation says consuming artificial sweeteners may lead to urgency -- or feeling like you've just got to go!

Cranberry juice: Helps

Women who are prone to UTIs are no doubt familiar with the health-promoting properties of cranberry juice. The juice produces hippuric acid, which makes urine more acidic, preventing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urethra.

Caffeinated beverages: Hurt

Although bladder health does rely on having fluid circulating through your body, not every fluid is equal. In this case, caffeinated beverages are not only the wrong type of fluid for your body, they also act as a diuretic, taking valuable fluid away by increasing your need to urinate.

Alcohol: Hurts

Like caffeinated beverages, alcohol isn't the right fluid to help flush out your bladder. Plus, a natural chemical in beer and wine called tyramine has been known to bother people with IC, a condition that causes recurring pain in the bladder and pelvic area.

Cigarettes: Hurt

While they are neither food nor drink, many cigarettes are consumed just as regularly as the solid and liquid portions of people's diets, so we'd be remiss for not pointing out that smoking has been linked to bladder cancer. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer, as smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to get bladder cancer. Cutting out tobacco may also be recommended by your doctor if you're suffering from IC.