Chapter List

• Beta-Carotene
• Biotin
• Calcium
• Drugs Can Sabotage Your Nutrition
• Folic Acid
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Niacin
• Pantothenic Acid
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Riboflavin
• Selenium
• Sodium
• Sulfur
• Thiamin
• Trace Minerals
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Zinc
• Age Spots
• Aging
• Alcoholism
• Allergies
• Alzheimers Disease
• Anemia
• Angina
• Asthma
• Bedsores
• Beriberi
• Birth Defects
• Bladder Infections
• Bruises
• Burns
• Cancer
• Canker Sores
• Cardiomyopathy
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Cataracts
• Celiac Disease
• Cervical Dysplasia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Colds
• Cold Sores
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Depression
• Dermatitis
• Diabetes
• Diarrhea
• Eating Disorders
• Endometriosis
• Epilepsy
• Fatigue
• Fibrocystic Breasts
• Fingernail Problems
• Gallstones
• Genital Herpes
• Gingivitis
• Glaucoma
• Gout
• Hair Loss
• Heart Arrhythmia
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• HIV
• Immunity
• Infertility
• Insomnia
• Intermittent Claudication
• Kidney Stones
• Leg Cramps
• Lou Gehrigs Disease
• Lupus
• Macular Degeneration
• Memory Loss
• Ménière’s Disease
• Menopausal Problems
• Menstrual Problems
• Migraines
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Morning Sickness
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Night Blindness
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Overweight
• Parkinsons Disease
• Pellagra
• Phlebitis
• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Prostate Problems
• Psoriasis
• Raynaud's Disease
• Restless Legs Syndrome
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Rickets
• Scleroderma
• Scurvy
• Shingles
• Smog Exposure
• Smoking
• Sunburn
• Surgery
• Taste and Smell Problems
• Tinnitus
• Varicose Veins
• Water Retention
• Wilson's Disease
• Wrinkles
• Yeast Infections

Special Limited Time Offer! Order today and Save an Extra 15%! Use coupon code: LSAVE15

Prostate Problems

Dealing with a Common Condition

For most men, it seems as inevitable as gray hair and wrinkles. At first you notice a little hesitancy when trying to start the flow of urine. Your urine stream may be weak or intermittent. You find yourself getting up at night to urinate, or you feel like your bladder is still partly full after you've gone. These are all signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate gland.

Statistics suggest that BPH is hard to avoid. More than half of all men over age 50 have significant prostate enlargement, and the rest have at least some. Simply getting older seems to be the main risk factor.

Enlargement does not inevitably lead to drugs or surgery, however. Some doctors contend that it's possible to slow enlargement enough to avoid surgery and drugs, especially if you take the right steps at the first signs of problems. The steps they recommend include dietary changes, herbs and nutritional therapy.

"If a man wants to stay out of the operating room and avoid cancer of the prostate, he needs to go full blast--to avoid the high-fat junk foods and environmental toxins that contribute to prostate problems and to start a wise nutritional program that includes the basic supplements that affect the prostate," says James Balch, M.D., a urologist in Greenfield, Indiana, and author of Prescription for Cooking and Dietary Wellness.

Small Gland, Big Problems

While most men may think of the prostate as nothing but trouble, the truth is that this chestnut-size gland does serve a useful purpose. Located just below the bladder, the prostate encircles the urethra, the tube that passes urine from the bladder to outside the body. The prostate produces semen and secretes it into the urethra, providing the liquid medium that sperm cells need for nourishment as well as to exit the body.

Prostate enlargement problems occur when the cells in the inner core of the gland, surrounding the urethra, grow to form fibrous nodules, eventually squeezing in on the urethra and blocking the flow of urine. The cells apparently grow in response to hormones, especially testosterone, and the growth seen in older men may be related to alterations in hormone balance associated with aging, experts say.

Nutritional intervention for BPH includes a healthy low-fat, high-fiber diet, weight loss if necessary, vitamin and mineral supplements and, in some cases, essential fatty acids such as flaxseed oil, says Dr. Balch. Some doctors also consider two herbs, saw palmetto and pygeum (a tree bark used extensively in Europe for this problem), an essential part of treatment. One product, Prostata, from Gero Vita International, combines all of these herbs and nutrients, says Dr. Balch.

Research findings are disappointingly slim when it comes to nutrition and BPH, however. Here's what studies show.

Zinc May Shrink Enlarged Gland

Zinc is highly concentrated in the prostate gland, but many doctors think zinc deficiency has little, if anything, to do with prostate enlargement. Some doctors, however, do recommend zinc for BPH, and with some apparent success. "It's not something I'd prescribe as a sole therapy. But I do use it, and it does seem to have some beneficial effects," Dr. Balch says.

And there is a bit of scientific evidence supporting its use.

One doctor, Irving Bush, M.D., professor of urology at the University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School, senior consultant at the Center for Study of Genitourinary Diseases in West Dundee, Illinois, and former chairman of the Food and Drug Administration panels on gastroenterology, urology and dialysis, did a small study of the use of zinc in treating BPH. The men in the study took 150 milligrams of zinc sulfate every day for two months, followed by 50 to 100 milligrams a day as a maintenance dose. Dr. Bush found that 14 of the 19 men experienced shrinkage of the prostate.

And researchers at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in Scotland found that in test tube experiments using prostate tissue, high doses of zinc inhibited the activity of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to its more powerful cousin, dihydrotestosterone.

"Stimulation of the prostate gland by dihydrotestosterone contributes to its growth, so reducing levels of this hormone should lead to a reduction in prostate size," says Fouad Habib, Ph.D., a cell biologist at the University of Edinburgh Medical School.

Unfortunately, zinc hasn't been tested in men with BPH in any large scientific studies, and until it is, most doctors will remain skeptical.

Dr. Bush continues to prescribe zinc to his patients with BPH. He uses Vicon-C from Whitby Pharmaceuticals, a product that offers 80 milligrams of zinc sulfate per capsule, along with vitamin C, several B vitamins and magnesium. (This amount of zinc is well above the Daily Value of 15 milligrams.) He recommends two capsules a day, after meals, and says it may take about six months to begin to see results. "It's not going to work for everyone, since gastrointestinal absorption and the presence of binding proteins are different in everyone," he admits. "But I think it's worth a try."

It's important to work with a doctor knowledgeable in nutrition if you want to try zinc for prostate problems, experts say. Normal amounts of zinc, up to 20 milligrams a day, have no effect on prostate enlargement, Dr. Habib says.

On the other hand, too much zinc is just plain toxic, Dr. Balch says. "My opinion is that if you go above 80 to 100 milligrams a day, you're skating on thin ice," he says. And other experts suggest not taking more than 15 milligrams daily without medical supervision. Too much zinc can cause anemia and immunity problems.

Food Factors More than any vitamin or mineral, fat may influence prostate health, say the experts. Here are some dietary changes that they recommend. Lose that gut. Men with 43-inch waists or greater are 50 percent more likely than normal-weight men to report symptoms of prostate enlargement or to have surgery for this condition, Harvard University researchers report. Losing about 7 inches of waistline, about 35 pounds in most cases, could be a method of treating and preventing prostate enlargement, they say. The best way to shake this stubborn fat? Eliminate alcohol and cut way back on sugar and dietary fat. At the same time, burn calories by walking, biking, swimming or running. Trim the fat. A lean diet may be the best way yet to slash your risk of prostate cancer, experts say. Avoid saturated and hydrogenated fats (hard at room temperature) and stick to monounsaturated fats (olive oil or canola oil) for cooking. Flush it. Drinking plenty of fluids--two to three quarts of water every day--helps prevent the bladder infections, cystitis and kidney problems sometimes associated with an enlarged prostate, doctors say. Fiber up. A high-fiber diet helps reduce your risk of prostate cancer by slightly lowering your body's levels of reproductive hormones. In population studies, men who eat the most fiber, from beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, are least likely to develop prostate cancer.

Prescriptions for Healing Some doctors recommend a veritable smorgasbord of nutrients to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Solid scientific evidence that these nutrients help is sadly lacking, but some doctors say that they see a difference in men who take them. Here's what is often recommended. Nutrient Daily Amount Beta-carotene 15,000 international units Magnesium 400 milligrams Selenium 50-200 micrograms Vitamin A 10,000 international units Vitamin B6 2 milligrams Vitamin C 1,000-5,000 milligrams Vitamin E 600 international units Zinc 160 milligrams (Vicon-C), taken as 2 divided doses MEDICAL ALERT: If you have symptoms of BPH, you should see your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. If you have heart or kidney problems, you should talk to your doctor before starting magnesium supplements. Doses of selenium that exceed 100 micrograms daily should be taken only under medical supervision. Vitamin C in doses of more than 1,200 milligrams daily can cause diarrhea in some people. If you are taking anticoagulant drugs, you should not take vitamin E supplements. Zinc in doses exceeding 15 milligrams daily should be taken only under medical supervision.

Other Nutrients Round Out the Program

Zinc isn't the only nutrient that doctors use to treat BPH. Dr. Balch, for instance, adds a smorgasbord of supplements: 10,000 international units of vitamin A, 15,000 international units of beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A in the body), 600 international units of vitamin E, 1,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 50 to 200 micrograms of selenium daily. All of these have been associated with reduced risk of cancer.

If you would like to try a nutritional program along these lines, you should discuss it with your doctor. The amounts of vitamins A, E and C that Dr. Balch recommends are significantly higher than the Daily Values of these nutrients. Vitamin C can cause diarrhea when taken in high doses, and high doses of selenium--more than 100 micrograms daily--can be toxic. (A Daily Value has not been established for beta-carotene.)

Dr. Balch also prescribes magnesium and vitamin B₆. The Daily Value for magnesium is 400 milligrams; for vitamin B₆, it's 2 milligrams. (If you have heart or kidney problems, be sure to talk to your doctor before taking magnesium supplements.)

"I'm well aware that there is nothing most doctors would call evidence that these nutrients help BPH," he says. "In my own experience, however, men who eat healthy diets and take these supplements have all-around better health and are less likely to require surgery."