Maintaining a Healthy Prostate

Exercise
Diet
Lifestyle
Health Supplements

Exercise (top)
Men who are more physically active have a lower frequency of symptoms related to benign prostatic hypertrophy BPH. Research has shown that men who exercised by walking for 2-3 hours per week had a 25% lower risk of BPH compared with men who did not exercise by walking.

Diet (top)
Recent studies have clearly shown a strong link between diet and the incidence of prostate disease. Dietary intervention studies and epidemiological data shows that men with a low intake of animal fats have a reduced risk of prostate disease compared with men with higher intakes of animal fats.

Epidemiological data also clearly shows that there is a link with diet and lifestyle and prostate disease. Men in Japan have a lower risk of developing prostate disease compared with men in the West: - yet Japanese men who emigrate to the West quickly acquire the same levels of risk for prostate disease as the national population of their host country.

Men with diets high in plant phytosterols, particularly beta sitosterol have a significantly lower incidence of symptoms associated with BPH. Numerous studies exist examining the use of both phytosterol concentrates and herbal preparations (particularly Saw Palmetto) in managing symptoms of BPH. It has been identified that the high phytosterol content of these herbal preparations may be responsible for some of the symptomatic benefits seen from their use in men with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy.

There is some anecdotal evidence that men who increase their intake of Omega 3 essential fatty acids reduce the incidence of symptoms in BPH, but this has yet to be verified in a proper controlled study.

In healthy men, prostatic secretions contain a significant amount of zinc, which has antibacterial activity and is a key factor in the natural resistance of the male urinary tract to infection. Logically, ensuring sufficient zinc is included within the diet is a positive step towards maintaining a healthy prostate.

A diet or supplementation with the amino acids glycine, alanine and glutamic acid has also been shown to help improve prostate symptoms, although it is not understood clearly what role these amino acids play in maintaining prostate health.

Lifestyle (top)
Use of tobacco, especially by smoking, reduces the zinc content of prostatic fluid, and so may reduce natural immunity to prostate infection. No research, however, has investigated the effect of smoking cessation on the prevention of prostatitis.

Supplements to Help Maintain

A Healthy Prostate

Beta sitosterol
Amino acids - Glycine, alanine, glutamic acid
Saw palmetto
Zinc

Beta Sitosterol (top)
Beta sitosterol is available as a supplement and is the principle component added to some well known cholesterol reducing margarine and dairy products, and is one of several plant sterols found in almost all plants. High levels of beta-sitosterol are found in rice bran, wheat germ, corn oils and soy as well as peanuts. People with BPH taking a diet high in these plant sterols at levels of between 60 - 130 mg / day have been shown to have a lower incidence of prostate symptoms arising from benign prostatic hyperplasia compared with those who do not, which may mean that this dietary component has a part to play in maintaining normal prostate function.

Systemically absorbed phytosterols are found in the cell membranes of prostate and liver cells only, and appear to block the conversion of testosterone to DHT in prostate cells. Additionally, people with diets high in beta-sitosterol may have reduced cholesterol levels compared with those who do not, as a result of reduced cholesterol absorption from the gut. Healthy levels of cholesterol are known to be of benefit in helping to maintain heart, circulatory, and prostate health.

Amino Acids - Glycine, Alanine, Glutamic acid (top)
The precise role of these amino acids in maintaining prostate health is not clear, but there is some evidence that supplementation with these amino acids can help to reduce symptoms - it is believed that they play an important part in normal prostaglandin synthesis, which helps the body to reduce swelling.

Saw Palmetto (top)
Saw palmetto is a herb widely used by herbalists in the treatment of prostate symptoms. Saw Palmetto appears to inhibit the conversion of the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and also blocks DHT from binding in the prostate - two key mechanisms in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Saw Palmetto has several components that may be responsible for these benefits, of which one is a high phytosterol content.

Zinc (top)
Prostatic secretions are known to have a high concentration of zinc, which suggests that zinc plays a role in normal prostate function. The EU Recommended Daily Allowance is set at 15 mg/day of Zinc, which is the amount required to avoid deficiency. There is no other definitive data on the amount required to support healthy prostate function specifically, or in those people with BPH.