Urinary Problems – The Scoop
Numerous individuals over the age of 40 experience an ever-growing problem regarding the weakening of the bladder and the sphincter muscle that controls the release of urine. This condition often relates to an increased urgency to urinate and/or the inability to control urination.1 Even though weak bladder control affects both genders, there are twice as many women who suffer from it as men.
The various problems associated with weak bladder control are:
- Urinary frequency or nocturia (frequent night-time urination): Approximately 50% of the adult population (over age 60) experiences a frequency of night-time urination leading to disturbed sleep patterns. The percentage of individuals affected by nocturia continues to increase with age.
- Urinary incontinence or involuntary loss of urine: according to recent research, 48% of women and 17% of men over age 70 suffer urinary incontinence.
- Overactive bladder: is defined as having an urgent need to empty the bladder. This condition affects one in six adults over age 40 and leads to a frequent need to use the washroom, incontinence, and stress.
Men and women suffer from these urinary problems for different reasons. Women can suffer from a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and/or a weakening of the bladder sphincter (the muscle that controls urine flow). This is believed to be caused by a loss of testosterone, which is needed to keep these muscles from shrinking or growing weak.
Men usually experience urinary problems due to various prostate disturbances (as in the swelling of the prostate) that occur with increased age. These disturbances are also strongly linked to the amount of bioavailable testosterone and an increase in a problematic by-product of testosterone called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone).
Pumpkin Seed Extract – Nature’s Answer to a Healthy Bladder
Pumpkin seeds have a long history of use in helping to alleviate various bladder conditions. Pumpkin seed oil is often sold as an accessory ingredient in bladder-aiding formulas due to its significant ability to alleviate urinary difficulties. However, according to new research, it is the water-soluble portion of pumpkin seed that is much more effective. A major reason for this is due to the efficiency with which water-soluble pumpkin seed is absorbed into the bloodstream.9
Research shows that water-soluble pumpkin seed extract is able to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles of the bladder by:9
- Allowing more testosterone to become available to the pelvic muscles
- Binding to the pelvic-floor androgen receptors, further strengthening the pelvic muscles
- Helping to allow the bladder to relax (by increasing nitric oxide)10
- Helping to prevent and reverse prostate enlargement in men11
So What Makes Ultimate Bladder Control Stand Out from the Rest?
Ultimate Bladder Control contains a 100% natural form of a patented water-soluble pumpkin seed. This one-of-a-kind ingredient was researched by Japanese scientists and found to be far superior to the conventional oil-soluble pumpkin seed currently available in the majority of products.
In addition to its superior absorption ability, the water-soluble pumpkin seed used in Ultimate Bladder Control has been shown to be highly effective in alleviating the majority of urinary discomforts experienced by both genders.11-13 For example, in one study, post-menopausal women taking a supplement containing pumpkin seed extract experienced a 79% decrease in urinary incontinence episodes, a 16% decrease in daytime urination, and a 39% decrease in night-time urination.12 Similarly, men taking the same supplement showed a 40% decrease in nocturia and 87% reported an improvement in their urinary symptoms.11
A newly published double-blind study has been released by Shim Bongseok, Jeong Hyewon, Lee S, et al. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of a product containing pumpkin seed extract and soy germ extract to improve overactive bladder-related voiding dysfunction and quality of life. Journal of Functional Foods 2014;8:11-7.
120 women with overactive bladder were given water-soluble pumpkin seed and soy germ extract for 12 weeks.
The supplement produced significant reductions in urination frequency and urgency, incontinence frequency, maximum urgency score, nighttime urination frequency, and Overactive Bladder Symptom Scale.
The improvements were superior to placebo for urgency and nighttime urination.
