Scientists Study Difference Between Men Who Pee Standing Up and Sitting Down

Shutterstock / Futurism One key debate still swirling around men’s health: is it better to pee standing, or sitting down? It may seem like a silly question, but there is some scientific merit to the question. Previous studies have found that men with prostate issues or urinary complications could be better off sitting, pointing to the possibility that plopping down may help loosen up pelvic floor muscles. Unfortunately, the evidence available is far from conclusive — which is probably what inspired the Colombian Urology Research Group to plow ahead with a new study published in the journal Neurourology and Urodynamics. The research, first flagged by Science Alert, took a look at the “posture adopted during voiding” of 52 male volunteers, 24 of whom stood while the rest sat. Each group went on a 24 hour “washout” break in between tests. During the examination, researchers looked at maximum urine flow rate, as well as the total volume of urine expelled in one go. Despite previous polarizing studies on the topic, this piece of research yielded a dull conclusion: it just doesn’t seem to matter. “In healthy men, voiding posture did not significantly modify the maximum urinary flow rate or voided volume,” the team wrote. The one difference between the two postures, the scientists noted, was in what might be called “acceleration.” “The sitting position was associated with a shorter time to maximum flow,” the scientists wrote, noting that it’s a “small difference that is unlikely to be clinically meaningful and was partly dependent on a single outlier.” Still, you never know until you try. More on research studies: Alarming Study Finds That Most People Just Do What ChatGPT Tells Them, Even If It’s Totally Wrong