Getting Up at Night Is a Nuisance, But . . .

Frequent urination is a hallmark of benign prostatic enlargement as well as a number of other urinary tract conditions in both men and women. Whatever the cause, nighttime urination is a bothersome, sleep-disrupting symptom. Nevertheless, it may have a hidden benefit, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer.

This was a study conducted by Spanish and North American researchers, who analyzed the urinary frequency in 884 recently-diagnosed bladder cancer patients from hospitals in Spain. There were 996 control patients selected from hospitals in the same areas. Interviews were done to gather information on the frequency of nighttime urination.

There was a consistent decrease in the risk of bladder cancer with increasing nighttime urination, in both men and women. Going at least twice a night was associated with a halving of the risk. The increased risk associated with smoking was also reduced with nighttime urination, by about half.

The protective effect of nighttime urination on bladder cancer risk strongly suggests that the latter is related to the contact time between carcinogenic substances in the urine with the cells lining the bladder. The big question for Americans concerns the amount of carcinogens in their urine (as opposed to Spanish subjects). Perhaps a similar study needs to be conducted in the USA, to determine the relevance of urinary carcinogens for bladder cancer here.