Will Taking Supplements Improve Your Prostate Health?
It would appear that many people seek to the contents of supplement bottles for answers concerning the health of their prostate.
According to research, people who have a higher risk for prostate cancer are more inclined to use vitamins and supplements, particularly those that advertise themselves as improving prostate health.
The question that remains, however, is whether or not those supplements actually make a difference in the treatment of prostate cancer or other diseases relating to the prostate. Let’s discuss these assertions with urologist Brad Gill, who holds a medical degree and a master’s degree.
Is it possible that supplements could assist boost the health of the prostate?
If you want irrefutable evidence that taking supplements will help you achieve a clean bill of health for your prostate… However, it’s not quite in that spot. In point of fact, there is a possibility that taking prostate health supplements could possibly cause prostate problems in some people.
Bottom line? You shouldn’t go looking for a miracle cure to improve the health of your prostate. According to Dr. Gill, if there was a supplement that had been tested and shown to be effective, everyone would be taking it. However, there is a lack of proof or it is somewhat scant when it comes to the topic of supplements and prostate health.
Dietary supplements that promote healthy prostate function
If you head over to Google and start poking around, you’ll find that the search engine is replete with recommendations for prostate health supplements. The following are some of the most often questions that are asked, along with the information that you need to know about each one:
Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto is perhaps the dietary supplement that is utilized the most frequently to support prostate health. Saw palmetto is derived from the fruit of a shrubby palm tree that is native to the southeastern United States. Saw palmetto supplements are manufactured from this fruit.
Saw palmetto has been shown in a number of studies to have the potential to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate gland and to make it easier to pass urine. In addition, the researchers concluded that the supplement was risk-free to use and did not produce any significant negative effects.
Saw palmetto berries and extracts have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which is likely the reason for the benefits.
However, before you go and load up on saw palmetto, you should know that other research is not quite as optimistic about its efficacy as a quick-fix for the prostate. Dr. Gill points out that even though there have been some encouraging findings, there are restrictions on the data and the inferences that may be drawn from them.
Vitamin E
According to the findings of a study that followed more than 35,000 healthy men over the course of 10 years, taking vitamin E may in fact raise your likelihood of developing prostate cancer.
According to what the researchers noted in their paper, “the observed 17% increase in prostate cancer incidence indicates the potential for seemingly harmless yet physiologically active compounds such as vitamins to do harm.” (Taking 400 international units of vitamin E on a daily basis was associated with an increased risk.)
Selenium
The findings of a study that examined the effects of selenium on prostate health came to the same conclusion as those of a study that examined the effects of vitamin E on prostate health. According to the findings of yet another study, men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer should avoid taking selenium since it may raise their mortality risk.
On the other hand, additional study has uncovered the possibility of positive effects of selenium supplementation as a prevention against prostate cancer. All of these research indicate that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of specific supplements to improve prostate health.
Zinc
Is it possible that zinc could assist your prostate? Although some research suggest it might be the case, others cast doubt on its validity. (Are you starting to notice a trend here? As was mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is not a great deal of conclusive evidence to suggest that any one dietary supplement can definitively solve any issues.
Additional dietary complements
The “maybe” answer applies to zinc as well as a number of other supplements that are said to be beneficial to prostate health. An uncertain term can also be applied to the following:
- An extract of green tea.
- Lycopene.
- Nettle root.
- Pomegranate extract.
- Pumpkin seed oil.
- Pygeum.
- Isoflavones derived from soy.
- Vitamin D.
Before beginning to take any supplements, you should consult your physician.
Know this about dietary supplements: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States does not regulate dietary supplements in the same way that they regulate prescription medications.
According to Dr. Gill, if you take a supplement that is available without a prescription, you should be aware that you may not always know exactly what is contained in the product. It is possible that it will have components mentioned on the reverse, but unlike prescription pharmaceuticals, the potency or amount of the product will not be regulated.
According to Dr. Gill, this leaves open the question of what effect, if any, a supplement might have. “Despite labels reading identically, these critical characteristics might change from batch to batch within a manufacturer and most surely differ from one manufacturer to the next.”
Before beginning to take a supplement, Dr. Gill suggests consulting with your primary care physician. (It is important to remember that research shows that fewer than half of persons who have prostate cancer report their usage of supplements with a healthcare provider.)
Dr. Gill emphasizes that patients should consult their primary care physicians prior to beginning use of any dietary supplement in order to confirm the product’s safety. When taken in the recommended amounts, the risk of adverse effects from vitamins and supplements is extremely low; nonetheless, consuming an excessive amount of specific compounds or receiving an excessively high dose might result in major adverse effects on one’s health. It is best to exercise extreme caution.”
Listen to the episode of the Health Essentials Podcast titled “Talking About Prostate Health” for more information on this subject from Dr. Gill. Every Wednesday, there will be a new episode of the Health Essentials Podcast available for download.