Does consuming too much sugar or spicy foods have any relation to bedwetting? My daughter is 12 and doesn't drink milk but does chew a lot of gum and loves really spicy food.
Answer
No well-done studies have shown any relationship between sugar or any type of food and enuresis (bedwetting). It is known that liquids that are ingested shortly before bedtime can cause problems, but this is timing, not content.
Sugar containing gum can harm teeth, however, and a 12-year-old girl needs calcium and vitamin D, which are both found in milk.
David L Fay, MD
Family Physician
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