Bariatric surgery can treat urinary incontinence in people who are overweight, a new study finds.

Urinary incontinence affects an estimated 30 million adults in the U.S. and can cause  limitations in daily functioning and reduced quality of life.

Obesity is considered a major risk factor for incontinence. The prevalence of incontinence has been reported to be as high as 70 percent among women and 24 percent among men who are severely obese.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco surveyed nearly 2,000 people, ranging in age from 18 to 78 years old, with an average age of 47 who underwent bariatric surgery in 10 hospitals nationwide. Nearly 79 percent of the participants in the study were women. Nearly half the women in the study and more than a fifth of the men reported having an episode of incontinence at least once a week prior to surgery.

Following surgery researchers found that the subjects reported substantial improvements in incontinence, with a majority of women and men achieving remission three years post-surgery.