The Answer On What to Drink to Maintain a Healthy Bladder

Friday, March 8, 2013  //  0 comments  //  Articles

Christine Short MD, FRCPC Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University, Division Chief Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,  Dept. of Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre

An important issue for persons with spinal cord injury is what to drink to maintain a healthy bladder. In this article, Dr. Christine Short, Head of the Spinal Cord Injury Team at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre gives the answer to this question.

It’s not necessarily what you drink, but how much that is important.

To maintain a healthy bladder you need to flush it out regularly. This will help prevent urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stones, and will help regulate your bowel routine.

The usual recommendation is 2-3 litres per day. This can be difficult if you are trying to time intermittent catheterization and keep them to a reasonable number (four to five times per day). Just remember what goes in comes out. This is the general rule. For example if you drink 2 litres a day you will pee 2 litres. To keep a safe catheter volume (less than 500 cc per catheter) you will need to cath about four times a day. This is a reasonable expectation, so we usually recommend that, if in and out catheterization is your bladder management, then aim for two litres a day. If you have a drainage system that can tolerate more, such as a foley catheter or condom drainage and a leg bag then we push 2-3 litres. This is true especially in the former situation (foley) because persons who use these are at higher risk of bladder infections, and more fluid may be helpful in preventing these.

The fluid you drink should be non-caffeine and non-alcoholic. Caffeine and alcohol are mild diuretics. This means they make you pee more and leave your body in a state of dehydration, which can be bad for your bladder, kidneys, and bowel. These fluids are okay in moderation, but don’t count them toward your daily fluid intake. Fluids that count are any non-caffeine or non-alcoholic beverages. Water is probably the best. Juice is okay but be careful because a lot of juice equals a lot of sugar and can cause problems with weight management.

Some people push specific fluids such as cranberry juice. The theory behind this is that if you make the bladder environment more acid (cranberry juice is acidic) then bacteria will not grow as well. The substances in cranberry extract also seem to prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder. There is now a small amount of research that supports this claim so assign cranberry to your daily list of fluids may be a good idea. If you don’t like cranberry juice or want to avoid the sugar that comes with it you can also try cranberry pills.

If there are issues preventing you from keeping up your fluids such as leakage between catherterizations, urgency, or discomfort then you should consult your doctor. Managing these things could help improve your bladder, your fluid intake, and your overall health.