Supporting urinary health: The role of diet and lifestyle

From hydration and diet to movement and pelvic floor exercises, our everyday choices can play a role in supporting health. Here’s what the evidence tells us. 

Urinary health: more than just the bladder 

When we think about urinary health, the bladder is often the first thing that springs to mind. But urinary health involves a whole system working together, from the kidneys, which filter the blood and produce urine, to the ureters, bladder and urethra, which transport, store and ultimately remove it from the body. 

The kidneys do much more than produce urine. They also help regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, blood pressure, red blood cell production and the body’s acid-base balance. Looking after urinary health therefore means considering several interconnected areas, including kidney function, urinary infection risk, kidney stones, bladder comfort, continence and healthy urine flow. 

Urinary problems are common and can affect anyone, although factors such as biological sex, age and life stage can influence risk. Pregnancy, menopause and prostate conditions, for example, can all affect urinary function in different ways. Diet and lifestyle can play a valuable role in supporting several aspects of urinary health, and we’ll look at what the evidence supports below. 

Persistent urinary symptoms such as urgency, leakage or pain, excessive urination during the night (nocturia), or difficulty emptying the bladder should be discussed with a healthcare professional. Seek prompt medical advice if you notice blood in your urine or experience urinary symptoms accompanied by fever or shivering, pain in the back or side, or you are unable to pass urine.  

Hydration: it’s not just about water 

Staying well hydrated is one of the simplest ways to support urinary health. Adequate fluid intake helps maintain urine volume and dilute substances within the urine, which is particularly relevant to kidney stone formation. Increasing water intake is an established part of guidance for reducing stone recurrence, alongside measures such as moderating salt intake.[1] 

Hydration may also be relevant to urinary tract health. In a 12-month randomised controlled trial of premenopausal women with recurrent cystitis who habitually drank less than 1.5 litres of fluid each day, adding 1.5 litres of water daily resulted in fewer episodes of cystitis.[2] 

But staying hydrated doesn’t have to mean constantly reaching for a glass of plain water. Our daily fluid intake comes from a variety of sources. Water is an excellent choice, but tea, coffee, milk and other lower-sugar drinks can all contribute, as can water-rich foods such as soups, fruits and vegetables.[3] Spreading drinks and hydrating foods throughout the day can make meeting your fluid needs feel much more achievable. 

You may be particularly pleased to hear that, despite its reputation, your morning coffee still counts. Caffeine can have a mild short-term diuretic effect, but moderate coffee consumption does not appear to cause dehydration. [4,5] In a controlled crossover study of men who habitually drank coffee, drinking 800 mL per day resulted in similar measures of hydration to drinking the same amount of water.[4] 

There is, however, an important nuance around hydration and lower urinary tract symptoms, such as increased urinary frequency and urgency in sensitive individuals. A systematic review found associations between caffeine intake and urinary frequency and urgency, although the overall evidence was limited and largely observational.[6] So there is no need to automatically exclude coffee or other caffeinated drinks for hydration purposes, but people who notice that certain drinks consistently aggravate urinary symptoms may find it useful to adjust their intake and observe the effect. Keeping a bladder diary to track symptoms and reducing one suspected trigger at a time may be useful.[7] 

When it comes to hydration, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Fluid needs vary according to factors such as body size, activity, weather, pregnancy and illness. For most healthy people, drinking regularly throughout the day and aiming for urine that is pale-yellow colour, can be a more practical approach than focusing on a rigid number of litres.[3] 

Dietary patterns: think bigger than a single food 

When it comes to urinary health, there is unlikely to be one ‘superfood’ that holds the answer. Instead, your overall dietary pattern (the combination of foods we eat regularly over time) is likely to matter more. 

Healthy eating patterns tend to have plenty in common, including a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds, sources of unsaturated fats and minimally processed sources of protein. 

There is growing evidence linking overall dietary patterns with kidney health. A recent umbrella review of 28 systematic reviews and meta-analyses found that Mediterranean- and DASH-style diets were associated with a lower risk of chronic kidney disease.[8] In people with existing chronic kidney disease (CKD), DASH-style dietary patterns also showed benefits in reducing excess protein in the urine (proteinuria) and slowing the rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a measure used to assess how well the kidneys are filtering the blood.[8] 

Similar associations have been observed elsewhere in the urinary system. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet was associated with a lower risk of bladder cancer, while Western-style dietary patterns were associated with higher risk in prospective cohort studies.[9] As much of this evidence is observational, however, these findings show associations and cannot establish that the dietary pattern itself caused the difference in risk. A further meta-analysis of observational studies also associated higher intakes of red and processed meat with greater bladder cancer risk, while higher fish intake was associated with lower risk.[10] 

Eating plenty of plant foods also tends to provide more fibre, helping to keep bowel movements regular and prevent constipation.[11] This can be relevant to urinary health too, as constipation is recognised as a risk factor for pelvic floor dysfunction.[12] Good sources of fibre include whole grains, beans and lentils, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. If increasing fibre intake, do so gradually and ensure fluid intake is adequate.[13] 

Ultimately, rather than searching for a single food to support urinary health, aim for a variety of whole foods. 

Metabolic health: movement matters too 

Regular movement is good for whole-body health, and your urinary system is no exception.  

Staying active helps support a healthy body weight, blood pressure and blood sugar control,[14] factors that are also important for kidney health.[15] High blood pressure and diabetes are recognised risk factors for CKD,[15] whilst higher levels of physical activity have been associated with a lower risk of CKD development.[16] 

Body weight may also affect bladder control. Carrying excess weight can increase pressure on the pelvic floor, and research suggests that weight loss can improve urinary incontinence and overactive bladder symptoms in women with obesity.[12,17] 

The good news is that movement doesn’t have to mean intense workouts. Finding enjoyable, sustainable ways to move more as part of everyday life can support metabolic health, with benefits that may extend to the kidneys, bladder and pelvic floor. 

Speaking of your pelvic floor... 

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the bladder and other pelvic organs and help control the flow of urine. Like other muscles, it can be trained – and doing the right exercises regularly can help improve bladder control. 

Supervised pelvic floor muscle training is recommended as a first-line treatment for women with stress or mixed urinary incontinence, while bladder training can help with urgency and mixed urinary incontinence.[7] Pelvic-floor exercises can also be beneficial for men experiencing urinary leakage following surgery for prostate cancer, with research suggesting they can help speed up the return of continence.[18]  

However, technique matters. Pelvic-floor exercises involve learning to correctly contract and relax the muscles. Repeatedly stopping your urine flow midstream is not a good way to train and may interfere with normal bladder emptying.[19] If you are unsure whether you are exercising the right muscles, or symptoms persist, a pelvic-health physiotherapist or continence specialist can assess how your pelvic floor is working and provide an individualised exercise programme.[19] 

Smoking: another reason to quit 

The negative effects of smoking extend to the urinary system. Smoking is one of the main preventable risk factors for bladder cancer,[20] and is also associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer.[21]  

Kidney function may also be affected. A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies found that current smokers had a higher risk of developing CKD than people who had never smoked, with evidence also linking smoking to a greater risk of kidney failure.[22]  

If you smoke, stopping is therefore one of the most important changes you can make for both urinary and overall health. It’s never too late to quit, and support from a healthcare professional or NHS Stop Smoking Service can make quitting more achievable. 

Hygiene and sexual health: keep it simple 

Simple hygiene habits can help support general genital and urinary health. Wiping from front to back after using the toilet, avoiding routinely delaying urination and urinating after sex are commonly recommended for people who experience recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).[23] However, clinical evidence that these specific behaviours prevent recurrent UTIs is limited, so they are best viewed as sensible habits rather than guaranteed preventive measures.[24] 

Sexual activity is a recognised trigger for recurrent UTIs in some people, particularly women.[24] If you are experiencing symptoms such as burning or discomfort when urinating, urgency or needing to urinate more frequently, it may be more comfortable to avoid sex until symptoms have settled. If UTIs repeatedly seem to follow sexual activity, discuss this pattern with a healthcare professional. 

Avoid vaginal douching and fragranced internal cleansing, too. The vagina is self-cleaning, and these practices can disrupt the normal vaginal environment.[25] 

The urinary microbiome: an emerging area of research 

For many years, urine was considered sterile. More sensitive detection methods have since revealed that the urinary tract contains its own community of microorganisms – the urinary microbiome. Differences in these microbial communities have been associated with conditions including recurrent UTIs, urinary incontinence and bladder cancer, although researchers are still working out whether these changes contribute to disease or occur as a consequence of it.[26]  

The urinary microbiome doesn't exist in isolation. In women, bacteria from the gut can reach the area around the urethra, while the vaginal microbiome, which is often dominated by Lactobacillus species before menopause, may help provide protection against potential urinary pathogens. Age, hormones, antibiotic exposure and other factors can all influence this interconnected gut–vagina–urinary ecosystem.[27] 

Research into ways of supporting the urinary microbiome is still developing. Probiotics are one area of interest, particularly specific Lactobacillus strains that have been studied for their potential role in supporting a healthy vaginal and urinary microbial environment.[24,28] Importantly, probiotic effects are strain-specific, meaning findings from one strain or combination of strains cannot automatically be applied to another. 

Putting it into practice 

There’s no single food, supplement or lifestyle habit that determines urinary health. Instead, the evidence points towards looking after the same foundations that support health more broadly: staying hydrated, eating a varied and balanced diet, keeping active, not smoking and paying attention to pelvic-floor health. Emerging research into the urinary microbiome is a promising addition to this picture.  

Practical takeaways 

Note: This article provides general information and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice.