Among adults, there is a statistically significant pattern of health issues surrounding bladder health. Here, we take an essential and brief look at concerns to bladder health. We then discuss five of the best supplements for contributing to healthy bladder function and longevity.
What Is Bladder Health?
The proper functioning of the bladder is absolutely necessary for physical comfort and public decency and discretion, as well as bodily homeostasis. Found in the body of every man, woman, and child, the organ known as the bladder is responsible for storing urine after it is produced by the kidneys, and before it is expelled during urination.
The bladder is stretchy and hollow, designed to expand in order to hold urine. It’s an essential part of the urinary tract. It consists of three layers, contributing to its strength and functions. They are the urothelium (inner lining), the lamina propria (a thin layer of tissue containing nerves and blood vessels), and the muscularis propria (a multilayer of smooth muscle).
Most adults will experience the passage of up to about 2 liters of urine daily. If the bladder is healthy, urination occurs at intervals where nerves in the bladder will signal to a person’s brain to go to the bathroom. A properly functioning bladder is one that is intact, strong and controlled, and free from infection.
Bladder problems can affect both men and women. The predominant maladies related to bladder health are incontinence, urinary tract infections (UTI), and bladder stones. About 30% of men will eventually experience incontinence; this is often related to the health of the prostate, an organ adjacent to the bladder. It is no irrelevant thing to consider how lifestyle factors, such as exercise, affect urination and the nutritional content and volume of your fluid intake (as well as the timing thereof).
Five Supplements for Bladder Health
Vitamin D: Research has established a clear relationship between a healthy vitamin D level and healthy bladder control. This is because vitamin D is utterly essential for proper muscular control, and specifically for maintaining adequate strength of the pelvic floor muscles. The utilization of vitamin D for urinary/bladder health is most pertinent to aging women.
Pumpkin seed oil is unique among plant-based supplements in its scientific credibility for reducing urinary frequency and urgency. The anti-inflammatory properties of extracts from pumpkin seeds can effectively help by encouraging relaxation of the bladder muscles. Recent research continues to support and explore the phytochemical benefits of pumpkin seed oil.
Magnesium: Physiologically, magnesium plays an obvious and essential role in empowering the bladder, because this mineral is essential for proper nerve and muscle functioning. There is scientific support for the purposeful intake of magnesium to reduce bladder muscle spasms, and encourage effective bladder emptying.
D-mannose is a sugar with properties that could actively combat, and possibly prevent, urinary tract infections.. Research shows that D-mannose inhibits infectious bacteria from adhering to tissues in the urinary tract. A UTI can affect any part of the urinary tract, including the bladder; this is more common in women.
Cranberry is one of the most oft-espoused products for combatting UTIs. Research as recent as 2019 supports the intake of cranberry for this purpose. A supplement combining cranberry with D-mannose is likely to be a better choice than taking one of these alone.
If you or your loved one has experienced issues of bladder control or urinary tract infection, then there is a highly likely chance that one or more of these products will help. As a cautionary measure, consult with your healthcare provider before taking any supplement for the first time.