Curb caffeine to cut bathroom trips - Your Life - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), May, 2003

If that extra cup of coffee in the morning sends you running for the bathroom, you might want to rethink your drink, physicians at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas suggest. While it's not true for everyone, Gary Lemack, an assistant professor of urology, points out that products with caffeine--like chocolate, tea, and sodas--can cause bladder irritation. "In patients prone to problems with urinary urgency and frequency, we do recommend they avoid what causes the problem. It's hard to break people's routines, but if it's affecting your quality of life, it's time to consider changing your habits."

Caffeine is both a diuretic and a bladder irritant and, therefore, may result in increased urine production as well as enhanced bladder sensitivity, he notes. Other foods that might irritate your bladder include citrus fruits, spicy dishes, and certain cheeses.