#6diet For Enlarged Prostate
Now, apart from following these natural remedial approaches, my cousin also found out that making some changes to ones regular diet and lifestyle can hasten the recovery process. When the right type of foods is taken on a daily basis, some of the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate can be reduced to manageable levels.
Natural Ways To Shrink The Prostate
, Prostate
If you are one of the 14 million men who suffer from an enlarged prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia , it is understandable that you would like to find a way to shrink your prostate or at least reduce its symptoms. You may wonder how to take the prostate back to a younger, more normal size that doesnt keep you running to the bathroom all night long.
When enlarged, the prostate gland can put pressure on the urethra and cause symptoms such as frequent urination and nighttime urination. The growing prostate can also keep the bladder from completely emptying and can affect the flow of urine, making for a weaker flow, starting and stopping of the flow, and urinary tract infections. More severe cases of BPH can make it difficult to urinate.
Even though BPH is not cancerous, it does affect a man and his familys quality of life. If you are waking up several times a night to urinate, chances are you are waking up your family members at least some of the time. Having to stop activities due to urinary urgency can have an effect and cause stress and annoyance for everyone involved.
Growth of the prostate with age is normal. One-third of men experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate by age 50. By age 70, 70 percent of men are affected, according to Johns Hopkins. So what can you do about it? Actually, there is a lot you can do.
Side Effects And Nutrition
Cancer treatment often causes side effects, such as nausea, mouth sores, and taste changes that may make it difficult to eat or drink. Follow these tips to help you get the nutrition you need:
- If water tastes unpleasant to you, take in more liquid though items such as soup, tea, milk or milk substitutes such as almond milk, or a sports drink. Or, flavor your water by adding fresh cut fruit.
- If food tastes bland, try seasoning it with flavorful spices such as garlic, cayenne, dill, and rosemary.
- Eat several small meals throughout the day instead of trying to eat large amounts of food at one time.
- Enhance your protein intake with protein from foods such as fish, egg whites, cheese, beans, or high protein smoothies.
- Suck on mints, chew on gum, or try fresh citrus fruits if you have a metallic taste in your mouth. Brushing your teeth before eating, using plastic utensils, and cooking in glassware can also help.
- If you have mouth sores or a gum infection, use a blender to make vegetables and meats smooth. Try juicing or making smoothies.Some side effects are often treated with medication, so talk with your doctor or another member of your health care team for more information.
No 5: Try Supplements
There are many prostate supplements that can benefit an aging prostate and support normal urinary health. When shopping for supplements, look for formulations that include ingredients that can help with overall prostate health. As already mentioned, there are several supplements that help support hormone regulation. One of them, pygeum, has also been found in studies to be useful in reducing BPH symptoms. While studies have not found that pygeum actually shrinks the prostate, it does help offer relief of urinary symptoms. Curcumin is another supplement that can help regulate the inflammatory processes that support health of the prostate. Saw palmetto is a well-researched supplement that studies have found as effective as popular drugs for BPH without causing the scary side effects of prostate drugs.
Eat Plenty Of Fruits And Vegetables
One of they key risk factors for an enlarged prostate is inflammation, so it is important to include plenty of foods with anti-inflammatory properties in your diet. This includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables they are an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, all of which have fantastic anti-inflammatory properties.
Green leafy vegetables are are rich in antioxidant, and are especially important. So are common fruits like tomato, avocado, and apricots; and vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussels sprouts.
Foods To Avoid: Eggs & Poultry
A study published in the January 2006 issue of Urology explored the connection between diet and BPH symptoms.1 It found that eating eggs and poultry appeared to increase symptoms. This may be to do with the fact that egg yolks have high levels of arachidonic acid, which, as mentioned earlier, increases inflammation.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you must cut eggs and chicken out of your diet completely this is just one study and more research would be needed to make a more thorough conclusion on the issue. However, I would advise you not to focus your diet around these foods and to get more variety instead. Vegetables are an excellent option as they contain and array of nutrients and can be incorporated into meals like curries and soups, as well as snacks.
Food Items You Can Easily Consume
Part 1 Of 3:making Lifestyle Changes
Tips For Coping With An Enlarged Prostate
When a man reaches about age 25, his prostate begins to grow. This natural growth is called benign prostatic hyperplasia and it is the most common cause of prostate enlargement. BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to prostate cancer, though the two problems can coexist.
Although 50% to 60% of men with BPH may never develop any symptoms, others find that BPH can make life miserable. The symptoms of BPH include:
- a hesitant, interrupted, weak urine stream
- urgency, leaking, or dribbling
- a sense of incomplete emptying
- more frequent urination, especially at night.
As a result, many men seek treatment. The good news is that treatments are constantly being improved. Patients and their physicians now have more medications to choose from, so if one doesn’t do the trick, another can be prescribed. And thanks to some refinements, surgical treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects than ever before.
But there are some things men dealing with BPH can do on their own. When symptoms are not particularly bothersome, watchful waiting may be the best way to proceed. This involves regular monitoring to make sure complications aren’t developing, but no treatment. For more troubling symptoms, most doctors begin by recommending a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. Often this will be enough to relieve the worst symptoms and prevent the need for surgery
Exercise And Lose Weight
Exercising and losing weight are some of the best things you can do to promote prostate health. Many studies show that moderate or vigorous exercise reduces risk of BPH and urinary tract symptoms and helps with prostatitis as well. Exercise also benefits your cardiovascular health and can help prevent other health and sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction.
If you are overweight, losing weight is one of the most important natural changes you can make in improving your prostate health, whether your concerns are cancer, BPH or prostatitis. A study published in the Journal of Urology found that overweight men, especially men with a high amount of abdominal fat, have an increased risk of BPH. If you are looking to shrink the prostate, losing weight can help you reduce your prostate size and help relieve annoying and frustrating urinary symptoms. On top of that, weight loss can reduce your risk for prostate cancer and help relieve prostatitis, too.
How Your Diet Promotes A Healthy Prostate
The Mediterranean Diet has a strong association between lowering cancer risk and preventing heart disease. This is attributed to the fact that this diet is focused on whole foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans while also focusing on healthy unsaturated fats from plants. With this style of eating, theres also an emphasis on decreasing processed or refined foods along with lowering intake of red meat or processed red meats. It allows alcohol in moderation and its focus on whole foods supports adequate fiber intake. It also allows for a wide range of foods, which means its more of a lifestyle rather than just a fad diet.
RELATED: How the Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Since this style of eating has a positive impact on cancer prevention, adopting healthy eating habits now could help prevent prostate problems down the road. Some nutrients and vitamins can have a very positive effect on the health of your prostate. Making sure youre getting the right nutrients as part of a balanced diet can play an important role in the health of your prostate.
Treating An Enlarged Prostate With Diet
The majority of American men will develop a pathologically enlarged prostate gland . The good news, though, is that like many other epidemics of chronic disease plaguing the Western world, it can be prevented and treated with a plant-based diet.
The prostate gland surrounds the urethra as it exits the bladder. If the gland gets too big it can constrict the normal flow of urine. Men can be left with a hesitant, weak urine stream, dribbling, irritation, and inadequate emptying of the bladder requiring multiple nightly trips to the bathroom. In the United States, it affects about 50% of men in their 50s and 80% of men in their 80s, but as I note in my 3-min. video Some Prostates Are Larger than Others its extremely rare in certain populations and diet may be to blame for our BPH epidemic. What if you already have it though?
According to a recent review I profile in my 3-min. video, Prostate Versus Plants, the most notable development in the epidemic of prostate enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms is the recognition that modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet can substantially influence the progression of the disease. All men should consider eating a prostate-healthy diet that includes legumes ; certain vegetables ; and certain seeds ; and avoids refined grains, eggs, and poultry.
For more on the health benefits of garlic and onions see:
Bigger But Not Better
Prostatic enlargement is pretty much inevitable. The urinary symptoms associated with it are treated with pills called alpha-blockers, which essentially enlarge the urethral channel by relaxing the muscle fibers within it. You can start with herbals like that of the woody shrub saw palmetto, pumpkin seeds , stinging nettle extract, pygeum, rye grass or beta-sitosterol extract and cruciferous vegetables but in randomized trials herbals take a distant second place to alpha blockers. Other drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors actually shrink the gland by 1/3 of its size and can also help urination. If these pills don’t keep you peeing straight and strong, there are also various indescribable procedures that can remove the excess prostatic tissue. And yes, some of them involve lasers, which you just gotta love.The prostate can also become inflamed, termed prostatitis, which occurs in about 10% of men at least once during their lives. This diagnosis is not subtle as most men with prostatitis pee firewater several times an hour. Ways to avoid this include good hydration, regular, timed voiding and treating BPH when it occurs.
Foods That Shrink The Prostate Gland
Benign prostatic hyperplasia becomes a common ailment as we age. It is an enlargement of the prostate gland and causes various urinary symptoms.
BPH is not cancer, but sometimes the prostate gland grows too much, and doctors decide to practice surgery. But if you have a slightly increased gland, you may need non-invasive treatment instead.
The normal prostate is made up of a given number of cells. In a prostate with BPH, the number of cells increases.
The exact cause is unknown, but aging and hormones are both critical factors. It is the primary cause of urinary symptoms in men, especially urinary retention and frequent urination.
Urination becomes frequent and sometimes difficult and wakes them up at night. Some patients may also have erectile dysfunction, but this symptom is usually due to other health conditions.
The majority of these problems can be solved by reducing the size of the prostate gland. But is it possible? How can you shrink the prostate gland with foods?
What Are The Advantages Of The Ketogenic Diet
- Faster Weight Loss -no carbs means your body is burning fat for fuel.
- Better Brain Function the keto diet is high in healthy fats these are crucial for better cognitive function.
- Reduced Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Low-carb diets, particularly the keto diet, highly effective at reducing risk factors of metabolic and heart diseases.
- Reduced Risk of Diabetes Studies have shown that you can treat diabetes by adopting the keto diet. It helps normalize blood sugar levels and insulin production.
- Helps Fight Cancer High levels of glucose in the blood increase insulin release and insulin-like growth factors. These hormones promote growth and cellular multiplication and favor cancer. The keto diet reduces the circulating levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor, which reduces the incidence of various types of cancer.
- Less Craving for Food The keto diet switches off ghrelin the hunger hormone. More healthy fats and proteins mean feeling more full, having fewer cravings.
- Better Digestion Healthy fats, proteins, and veggies help nourish the digestive tract and reduce the potential for disease.
How To Reduce Prostate Enlargement With Diet
As men age, a common health problem that lurks is that of Prostate enlargement. It can be caused due to any of the multiple reasons varying from genetics to urinary tract infections . Whatever be the cause, prostate enlargement is a painful condition that can cause a number of problems in men.
Since the initial symptoms of prostate enlargement include slight pain while urination, most people ignore it in the initial stage. This causes the condition to worsen further leading to severe conditions like bladder stones, complete inability to urinate & even kidney damage.
There are a number of treatments for prostate enlargement, of which is one of the best. Being natural, it has no side effects. A major part of Ayurvedic treatment includes diet changes. With the right food, the size of an enlarged prostate can be reduced significantly.
Natural Remedies For Enlarged Prostate
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The prostate grows
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that wraps around the urethra, the tube that urine flows out of. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. One of its main jobs, along with other organs, is to add fluid to semen. This is the fluid that carries sperm.
The prostate gland starts out small and has two main phases of growth. It doubles in size during the teenage years, then continues to grow again after age 25 throughout the rest of a mans life.
An excessively enlarged prostate results in a disease known as benign prostatic hyperplasia . Eventually, an enlarged prostate can clamp down on the urethra and restrict the flow of urine from the bladder. This leads to problems such as:
Choose The Mediterranean Diet
A healthy diet for everyone, the Mediterranean diet is especially beneficial for prostate health.
Fresh vegetables, fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, and fresh fruits, along with whole grains are all heart healthy and prostate healthy. Nuts and avocados are better than carbs and fatty foods, therefore reduce the amount of red meat and processed foods.
One tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or Italian dressings reduce insulin levels and inflammations.
Top Foods That Help Prevent An Enlarged Prostate
1. Salmon: Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acid deficiency could lead to prostate problems. You can also get your omega-3s from ground flax seeds, walnuts, kidney beans, and canola oil.
2. Tofu: A study that was published in The Journal of Urology revealed that Asian men have a reduced risk of developing BPH when compared to western men. One reason could be that Asian men consume more soy. According to a study published in The Prostate, soy isoflavones have been linked to lowering the risk of developing an enlarged prostate. You can get soy isoflavones in low-fat soymilk, roasted soybeans, and soy yogurt.
3. Bell peppers: Bell peppers have more vitamin C than any other vegetablevitamin C is said to play a role in fighting BPH. However, according to some studies, only vitamin C from vegetables can lower the risk of enlarged prostate. You can also try cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
4. Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds contain high levels of zinc, which is essential in maintaining a healthy prostate. Men who either have BPH or prostate cancer have low levels of zinc in their bodies. You can also try pumpkin seeds, adzuki beans, and almonds.
5. Avocadoes: Avocadoes are rich in the plant sterol beta-sitosterol. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews states that beta-sitosterol helps reduce symptoms associated with BPH. It can strengthen the immune system as well as reduce inflammation and pain. You can also try soybeans, pecans, and wheat germ.
Do Plenty Of Exercise
Obesity especially excess weight around the waist and hips is closely linked with BPH. So, in conjunction with a healthy diet, it is important to stay fit and active to promote good prostate health. Studies suggest that regular exercise can have benefits for your prostate and decrease the risk of BPH. Even light-moderate exercise, like such walking or jogging, will help. The key is consistency. A well-rounded exercise regimen that includes aerobic exercise and/or resistance training all or most days of the week is highly recommended.
For those looking to reduce the severity of BPH symptoms, regular Kegel exercises to help strengthen the pelvic muscles is a great way to help control incontinence. Kegel exercises are easy and can be done anywhere. Simply clench your bladder, as though you are trying to stop urine flow, hold for 5 seconds, and release. Doing 2 to 3 sets of 10-20 Kegels each day can have fantastic benefits.
Foods To Avoid: Sugary Foods
Refined sugar is another no-go for those with prostate problems as this can increase inflammation.
Sugar is abundant in some obvious sources such as fizzy juice and cake, but don’t forget it is also added to processed foods to give them extra flavour. This includes ready meals, crisps, some cereals, white bread and ready-made sauces. You could try cutting down your intake of these things in order to reduce the pressure on your prostate.
They say fresh is best for a reason, so try swapping these processed foods for wholegrain products, fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Not only are these better for the prostate, they are also highly nutritious and healthy too!
Foods That Can Help Reduce Prostate Enlargement
1. Bell Peppers
Bell Peppers are high in Vitamin C which is helpful in treating prostate enlargement. According to a study, treatment with Vitamin C leads to a reduction in the symptoms of prostate enlargement. Bell Peppers are high in capsaicin which neutralizes cancer-causing substances, reducing the risk of prostate cancer & promoting prostate health.
2. Broccoli
Broccoli & other cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane that promotes prostate health. A study has proven the positive effects of sulforaphane on prostate enlargement. Broccoli fights the damage caused due to free radicals, reducing the oxidative stress in the body. It also reduces the risk of prostate cancer & its aggression. Other cruciferous vegetables that can be useful are cabbage, bok choy, kale & cauliflower.
3. Tomatoes
Besides other nutrients, a major compound found in tomatoes is lycopene. It is a type of carotenoid which gives tomatoes their bright red colour. According to NCBI, lycopene can inhibit the progression of prostate enlargement in men. This effect of tomatoes can be due to the presence of antioxidants found in its cell wall that attack the free radicals in the body.
Moreover, lycopene lowers the prostate-specific antigen which is responsible for inflammation in the prostate gland. This way tomatoes treat prostate enlargement, promoting prostate health.
4. Avocado
5. Berries
6. Citrus Fruits
7. Onion & Garlic
8. Soy
9. Sesame Seeds
10. Salmon
Maintain A Balanced Diet
Theyre probably not your favorite part of any meal, but green, leafyvegetables are a good first step toward a healthy prostate. Thesevegetables are full of important vitamins and antioxidants that keep you and specifically, your prostate healthy.
So look for somehealthy recipesthat have lettuce, spinach, kale and broccoli to make your prostate-healthydinner delicious.
While youre filling your plate with these leafy greens, avoid charredmeats. There is believed to be a link between PhIP, a chemical compoundreleased when meat is charred, and an increased risk of cancer.
How To Reduce Prostate Inflammation
An enlarged prostate or Prostatitis is a common condition in men over 40 years of age. This condition, that generates annoying symptoms, must be diagnosed and monitored by a urologist who will determine if it is bacterial prostatitis or of a chronic nature. Changes in diet as well as some changes in lifestyle habits and the intake of certain home remedies can help to shrink the prostate and improve the quality of life of patients. At oneHOWTO we explain in detail how to reduce prostate inflammation and improve your health.
An enlarged prostate is a condition that must be diagnosed and monitored by a urologist as it is necessary to determine the cause of this condition to then find the ideal treatment. In addition to medical recommendations that should be strictly followed there are some changes in lifestyle habits are also important to take to promote a reduction of the prostate.
The first step is to have a diet which is rich in fibre in order to improve the intestinal transit and prevent constipation, a condition that may increase the symptoms and discomfort of patients with an enlarged prostate. Fruits, vegetables and grains are essential to achieve this and should be consumed daily, while avoiding high-fat ingredients that can hinder digestion.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.