Can Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Urinary Problems

One Major Effect Of Vitamin D On Your Bladder New Study Says

An overactive bladder can feel both embarrassing and like a major nuisancebut if you suffer from this condition, you’re not alone. The American Urological Association states 33 million Americans experience an overactive bladder. Currently, there are a lot of cutting-edge medications to treat this but if you’d prefer to try making a small shift to your daily routine rather than start on a prescription, an impressive new study suggests one supplement that’s already been making headlines lately.

For a meta-analysis just published this week, four researchers in Israel who specialize in public health and obstetrics/gynecology performed a review of past studies, which all occurred as recently as August 2020. For their review, the researchers sought research that had been performed related to overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorders, and lower urinary tract symptoms.

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Of the studies they reviewed, six out of seven had concluded that the onset and severity of urinary incontinence was significantly linked with Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency.

Additionally, two other randomized controlled trials had found that Vitamin D can be effective at treating urinary incontinence.

Overall, this means that two-thirds of the studies the researchers looked back at showed a correlation between sufficient Vitamin D intake and good urinary health.

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Risk Factors For Urinary Tract Infections

And now a brief note about reproductive parts: Although people with penises do get UTIs, people with vaginas are more at risk. It all boils down to the anatomy, Minkin says.

Bacteria that cause UTIs often make their way from the back door to the front and then up the urethra to wreak havoc on the urinary system.

Because the male reproductive system has a longer urethra than the female reproductive system, the bacteria have farther to travel, which makes it more difficult for a UTI to develop.

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Taking Supplements In High Doses May Lead To Kidney Stones

Excess vitamin C is excreted from the body as oxalate, a bodily waste product.

Oxalate typically exits the body via urine. However, under some circumstances, oxalate may bind to minerals and form crystals that can lead to the formation of kidney stones .

Consuming too much vitamin C has the potential to increase the amount of oxalate in your urine, thus increasing the risk of developing kidney stones .

In one study that had adults take a 1,000-mg vitamin C supplement twice daily for 6 days, the amount of oxalate they excreted increased by 20% .

High vitamin C intake is not only associated with greater amounts of urinary oxalate but also linked to the development of kidney stones, especially if you consume amounts greater than 2,000 mg (

Summary

Consuming too much vitamin C may increase the amount of oxalate in your kidneys, which has the potential to lead to kidney stones.

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Vitamin D Deficiency Who Is At Risk

Canadians are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. Our higher latitude makes it difficult for us to get enough sun exposure in the fall and winter months. Individuals who dont get at least 15 minutes of sun exposure daily, who have darker skin, who are older, or who are overweight are also at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your doctor may suggest that you take vitamin D supplements, depending on your diet and risk factors.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Urinary Tract Infection

These are the most common symptoms of a UTI:

• Frequent urination
• Despite an strong urge to urinate, only a small amount of urine is passed
• Women may feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone

The symptoms of UTI may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see a health care provider for a diagnosis.

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How Vitamin D Supplements Are Linked To Excessive Urination

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. Most people, however, don’t get enough sun exposure, especially during the cold months. Living anywhere north of the latitude of Atlanta virtually assures you’re not getting enough vitamin D from the sun in winter. One solution is to take supplements, but with a caveat.

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Gum Disease And Tooth Loss

Because vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, it’s essential for healthy teeth and gums, says the National Library of Medicine.

When vitamin D levels are unregulated, it weakens your teeth, making you susceptible to cavities, fractures, and decay. A 2020 study in the journal Oral Diseases looked at over 4200 US adults and found that vitamin D levels are significantly associated with the occurrence of cavities.

Additionally, a 2020 study published in the Journal of Periodontal Research found lower vitamin D levels are linked with an increased risk of periodontitis, possibly because of its connection to the immune system. Vitamin D seems to positively impact inflammation and mineralization effects on the tissue surrounding your teeth.

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What Causes Urinary Tract Infections

Normal urine is sterile and contains fluids, salts, and waste products. It does not contain bacteria, viruses, or fungi. A UTI occurs when germs, most often bacteria from the digestive tract, get into the opening of the urethra and start to multiply.

Most UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria, which normally live in the colon.

What Vitamins To Take When You Have A Uti

Urinary tract infections, such as cystitis and urethritis, cause symptoms such as a burning sensation when you wee and cloudy or bloody urine. They can be incredibly uncomfortable and youll probably want to speed up your recovery. If youd like to manage a UTI naturally, we have a blogpost with some fantastic tips. Additionally, some vitamins that may help are:

• Vitamin C in this case, large amounts of Vitamin C reduce the growth of bacteria by acidifying the urine. You can find it naturally in fruit, such as cranberry juice9 and oranges
• Probiotics. Present in fermented foods, like Greek yoghurt and kefir or as a supplement, probiotics contain good bacteria that prevents bacteria from growing
• D-Mannose this is a sugar that prevents bacteria from sticking to the lining of your urinary tract. It is found in cranberries, apples and peaches, although you could take a supplement10

We hope this article has given you some ideas on vitamins to introduce to your diet to help urinary tract symptoms. If you want to make changes to your diet or supplement regime, iD recommends speaking to a healthcare professional first

1 Supplements, Interstitial Cystitis Association, 2 May 2016, Source: https://www.ichelp.org/living-with-ic/interstitial-cystitis-and-diet/supplements/

2 Absorption, metabolism and functions of -cryptoxanthin, Betty J. Burri, Michael R. La Frano and Chenghao Zhu, 11 January 2016, Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892306/

5 Ibid

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Serum Vitamin D Levels In Children With And Without Uti

Four of the six included studies showed that serum levels of vitamin D were significantly lower in children with urinary tract infection than that in controls . One study by Noorbakhsh et al. showed no significant differences between the patient and control groups. Interestingly, one study found that children with urinary tract infections had higher serum levels of vitamin D than healthy children . Interestingly, data from Figure 2 show that the values obtained for vitamin D in the two Mahyar et al. and Noorbakhsh et al. studies have a protective role against UTI. However, other data show that the values of vitamin D in other studies act as a risk factor for UTI , in other words, low levels of vitamin D are known as a risk factor for UTI. Sum up, analysis of the all groups showed that serum levels of vitamin D can be a risk factor for UTI .

Figure 2. Forest plots showing the association between vitamin D level with the risk of urinary tract infection in children.

What Is Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency means you dont have enough vitamin D in your body. It primarily causes issues with your bones and muscles.

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that your body uses for normal bone development and maintenance. Vitamin D also plays a role in your nervous system, musculoskeletal system and immune system.

You can get vitamin D in a variety of ways, including:

• Sun exposure on your skin .
• Through the food you eat.
• Through nutritional supplements.

Despite all these methods to get vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency is a common worldwide problem.

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Vitamins That Irritate The Bladder

While some vitamins can help with bladder health, its important to know that others can worsen your symptoms if you have bladder troubles.Nonetheless, some vitamins you may wish to avoid are:

• Vitamin C many patients with interstitial cystitis report that taking a Vitamin C supplement causes bladder flares and trigger a need to go in women. However, Vitamin C found naturally in food doesnt appear to cause issues
• Iron supplements excess iron can cause constipation, which puts pressure on the bladder, causing leaks and discomfort1
• -cryptoxanthin this is a vitamin found in food such as tangerines, red peppers and pumpkin.2 In a 2016 study, it was found to worsen voiding symptoms in individuals with lower urinary tract symptoms3
• Any vitamin buffered with aspartame may increase urinary frequency and urgency4

iD would recommend you speak to a doctor before making changes to your diet or taking supplements.

Vitamins For An Overactive Bladder

Even though urinary bladder is a muscular sac situated in the pelvis, it does not actually play a primary role as a reservoir for urine. The urinary bladder only grabs attention when it needs to be emptied, has got inflamed, or is infected and causes pain or discomfort. The kidneys produce urine which gets transported to the bladder via a pair of tubes. This is where the urine is actually stored, with the bladder expanding to accommodate the urine inflow. This storage function is supported by the presence of layers of muscle tissue which line the urinary bladder, allowing it to expand when urine begins to fill the sac. The urinary bladder is susceptible to many medical conditions which can range from being annoying to worthy of immediate medical attention. Overactive Bladder is a condition which occurs when the bladder is unable to function normally. An overactive bladder triggers a sudden urge to urinate and can also result in an involuntary loss of urine. A number of factors like stretched or weak pelvic muscles, bladder diseases, chronic urinary tract infections, diabetes, an enlarged prostate, or obesity can lead to an overactive bladder.

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Using Vitamin C For Utis

According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended daily amount for vitamin C is 90 milligrams for adult men and 75 milligrams for adult women 2. Certain people need more vitamin C than average. For instance, smokers need an additional 35 milligrams per day pregnant women need 85 milligrams per day lactating women need 120 milligrams per day.

According to geriatric specialist Dr. Suzanne Salamon, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, you should take 500 to 1,000 milligrams per day of vitamin C if youre using this nutrient to prevent bladder infections 48.

This is in addition to the recommended daily amount you should be getting, which means youd have to consume about six to 13 times the amount youd typically get on a daily basis. You can obtain this amount of vitamin C from supplements or naturally, through your diet.

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• According to the National Institutes of Health.
• This is in addition to the recommended daily amount you should be getting, which means youd have to consume about six to 13 times the amount youd typically get on a daily basis.

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How Is Vitamin D Deficiency Treated

The goals of treatment and prevention for vitamin D deficiency are the same: to reach and then maintain an adequate vitamin D level in your body.

While you might consider eating more foods containing vitamin D and getting more sunlight, your healthcare provider will likely recommend taking vitamin D supplements.

Vitamin D comes in two forms: D2 and D3. D2 comes from plants. D3 comes from animals. You need a prescription to get D2. D3, however, is available over the counter. Your body more easily absorbs D3 than D2.

Work with your healthcare provider to find out if you need a vitamin supplement and how much to take, if needed.

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Vitamin D May Boost Urinary Tract Health: Study

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Vitamin D supplementation was found to promote production of an anti-microbial peptide called cathelicidin in the urinary tract, thereby offering local and site-specific protection, according to findings published in Public Library of Science One .

This could make an effective and safe way of activating the endogenous antimicrobial response locally at the site of infection, wrote researchers from the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Determining the vitamin D status of individuals with a history of UTI may be of importance to evaluate their ability to fend off intruding bacteria.

Supplementation to restore proper vitamin D levels may therefore help preparing the bladder epithelium to mount a stronger and faster immune response once bacteria enter the bladder.

Vit D

Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation , is said to be more bioactive.

Both D3 and D2 precursors are hydroxylated in the liver and kidneys to form 25- hydroxyvitamin D D), the non-active storage form, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 2D), the biologically active form that is tightly controlled by the body.

The new study indicates that the benefits of the sunshine vitamin may also extend to urinary tract health a health category traditionally dominated by cranberry juice and extracts.

Study details

Immunofluorescence Staining Of Bladder Sections

Sections of paraffin-embedded tissue were deparaffinized and rehydrated and pretreated with 0.3% Triton X-100/PBS at room temperature. Thereafter, sections were blocked for 30 mins with FX Signal Enhancer sections were blocked for an additional 60 mins with the sera from the species in which the secondary antibodies were raised. Incubation with primary antibodies was carried out overnight at 4 °C. Primary antibodies used were goat anti-claudin-14 and mouse anti-occludin . Sections were then incubated with secondary Alexa Fluor-conjugated antibodies for 60 mins at room temperature and mounted in ProLong Gold Antifade mounting medium including DAPI . Tissue was analyzed with a Leica SP5 confocal microscope and quantified with ImageJ software.

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Serum Vitamin D Level And The Risk Of Urinary Tract Infection In Children: A Systematic Review And Meta

• Department of Pediatrics, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between serum vitamin D concentration and the risk of urinary tract infection in children. Human studies reported the serum vitamin D level in children with UTI and healthy controls were collected from PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane databases. The strictly standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval were calculated to evaluate the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and risk of UTI. The results of analysis showed that serum vitamin D levels in children with UTI were significantly lower than healthy control children . It can be concluded that there is a significant negative relationship between serum vitamin D level and risk of UTI in children.

Vitamin C May Cause The Death Of Certain Bacteria

Many of the bacterial species that cause UTIs are known to convert nitrate into another chemical called nitrite. You might recognise this if youve used urine dipstick tests .

Nitrate can be ingested in the foods we eat, but it is also produced within our own bodies, so its not something to worry about or try to avoid.

In an acidic environment, these nitrate-reducing bacteria take the nitrate found in our bodies and use it to produce nitric oxide, a very reactive chemical. The creation of this reactive nitric oxide also brings about their own death.

This is where vitamin C for UTI comes in. Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is believed to create an acidic environment, triggering the production of nitric oxide, and thereby causing the bacteria present to end their own existence.

Although this is pretty cool to think about bacteria being responsible for their own death UTIs are also caused by a variety of other microorganisms that are not nitrate reducing.

Many of these may show a different response to vitamin C, so without knowing which organism is causing your UTI, you cant be sure whether vitamin C will help or hinder.

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Vitamin D And Urinary Incontinence

VitaminDWiki pages containing INCONTINENCE in title

This list is automatically updated

2,000 IU Vitamin D did not treat male Overactive Bladder and Urinary Incontinence – VITAL RCT Sept 2022

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Overactive Bladder and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms in Older Men: Ancillary Findings from a Randomized Trial Kournal of UrologyAdult Urology6 Sep 2022

• lower odds of OAB compared to placebo,
• yet higher odds of any UI .

Urinary incontinence associated with low vitamin D in most studies – Review Sept 2021

• In 6 out of the 7 cross-sectional studies reviewed, a significant association between vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and the onset and severity of UI was found.
• In 2 out of the 3 prospective studies included, no association between vitamin D intake and UI was found however,
• both randomized controlled trials that were reviewed found that vitamin D supplementation is effective for the treatment of UI.

Conclusions: The existing literature supports an association between low levels of serum vitamin D and UI. Initial evidence regarding the effect of vitamin D supplementation on UI is accumulating, yet additional, comprehensive research is warranted to establish these findings.References

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III., PMID: 20308841