Urinary incontinence

Overview

Vitamin D is the only supplement studied for urinary incontinence, with three trials and mixed results. In middle-aged women with stress incontinence and low vitamin D, 5000 IU weekly for 12 weeks alongside pelvic floor exercises improved bladder control and quality of life more than placebo.

However, in older adults, 2000 IU daily for five years did not reduce incontinence problems in a large study. Vitamin D carries low ratings overall. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for more detail.

Effect graph

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Vitamin D	★★★★★	Very Low / None

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Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

1 supplement for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

Vitamin DView supplement →

Do not purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceMediumTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Limited evidence shows that taking vitamin D might help middle-aged women with stress urinary incontinence who have low vitamin D levels.
A study found that taking 5000 IU of vitamin D once a week for 12 weeks, along with pelvic floor exercises, improved bladder control and quality of life more than a placebo.
But in older men and women, vitamin D does not seem to help urinary incontinence.
A large study found that taking 2000 IU of vitamin D daily for 5 years did not reduce bladder control problems in older adults.
In older men with low vitamin D, taking supplements might make some types of incontinence worse.

Browse 3 studies

RCTEffect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Overactive Bladder and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms in Older Men: Ancillary Findings From a Randomized Trial2023n=11,486

In VITAL ancillary analyses of 11,486 men aged 55+, 2,000 IU/day vitamin D3 for 5 years did not reduce overactive bladder or urinary incontinence prevalence versus placebo.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 5 years
Dose: 2000 IU/day
Population: Older men
Participants: 11,486
Ages: 55+

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RCTEffect of vitamin D supplementation on the severity of stress urinary incontinence in premenopausal women with vitamin D insufficiency: a randomized controlled clinical trial2022

A 3-month RCT in 60 premenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence found vitamin D3 supplementation improved incontinence severity versus control.

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 3 months
Population: Women

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RCTEffect of vitamin D supplementation on urinary incontinence in older women: ancillary findings from a randomized trial2022n=836

An ancillary analysis of 836 older women in a 2–5 year trial found vitamin D 2,000 IU/day did not significantly reduce urinary incontinence frequency versus placebo.

Effect: No Benefit
Dose: 2000 IU/day
Population: Women
Participants: 836
Ages: 55+

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Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

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Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 1 supplements for urinary incontinence (3 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Vitamin D	★★★★★36%	3	0	100%

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