Central adiposity increases the risk for urinary incontinence, finds study

According to a study, body composition is associated with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders in middle-aged women. Larger fat mass increases the risk of stress urinary incontinence. The risk factors include larger fat mass, especially in the waist area and around visceral organs, as well as larger waist circumference and body mass index.

The prevalence of pelvic floor disorders increases as women approach their menopausal years. Estrogen deprivation, natural aging of tissues, reproductive history, and factors increasing intra-abdominal pressure may lead to structural and functional failure in the pelvic floor.

In addition, lifestyle choices such as eating behavior and physical activity may have an effect on the mechanisms of pelvic floor disorders. Body composition partly reflects lifestyle choices and can therefore be considered a modifiable factor that reveals a woman's risk of experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor disorders.

The disorders studied were stress urinary incontinence, urgency urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.

At the baseline, over half of the participating women had some type of symptoms of pelvic floor disorder. The most common were the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. The study showed that body composition is associated with the presence of the symptoms of pelvic floor disorders.

The results showed that total fat mass, android fat mass, gynoid fat mass, and trunk fat mass as well as visceral fat area were associated with the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Similarly, larger body mass index and waist circumference were associated with the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence.

The study is part of the larger ERMA study and its four-year follow-up study EsmiRs. The participants were from 47 to 55 years old at the baseline. Body composition was measured with a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer, X-ray absorptiometry, and anthropometry.

I doubt that is a real factor. There may be a slight change in metabolic rate from Beta blockers but increased appetite and more eating is the cause of most all other drug side effects. And, metabolic rate differences is a myth, or more accurately an excuse. Fat people use most of their calories keeping a poorly insulated bag of mostly water at almost 100 F all the time. And, some calories consumed by movement.

I suppose you subscribe to the doctrine of magic calories. Those calories that one eats but are not burned because fat is stored rather than burned. The theory being that metabolic rate is altered such that the calories required for body heat and locomotion are magicially not needed and are stored as fat. Complete bullshit.
Here is the rest as to why Insulin causes weight gain:

From AI:

**Appetite stimulation**: Insulin can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect hunger centers in the hypothalamus. Higher insulin levels often lead to increased appetite and cravings, particularly for carbohydrates, creating a cycle where more eating leads to more insulin needs.

**Hypoglycemia and compensatory eating**: When people take insulin, they risk blood sugar dropping too low (hypoglycemia). This triggers intense hunger and the need to eat to raise blood sugar, often leading to overconsumption. Many people with diabetes develop a pattern of “treating lows” with extra calories.

**Improved glucose utilization**: Paradoxically, when someone starts insulin therapy, their body becomes more efficient at using glucose that was previously being lost in urine. This “glucose recovery” represents calories that are now being retained rather than wasted, contributing to weight gain.

**Dosing patterns**: People often gain more weight when insulin doses are higher than needed or when they eat to match their insulin rather than adjusting insulin to match their eating patterns.

**Fluid retention**: Insulin can cause the kidneys to retain sodium and water, leading to some initial weight gain from fluid retention.

The weight gain is typically most pronounced when starting insulin therapy or when increasing doses. This is why endocrinologists often discuss weight management strategies and may prefer weight-neutral or weight-loss-promoting diabetes medications when possible.

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