Considering Taking A Vitamin Or Supplement To Treat Enlarged Prostate
There are several treatment options for an enlarged prostate. Men can take alpha-blocker drugs such as terazosin to help relax the prostate muscles or antibiotics for chronic prostatitis . They can also take dutasteride or finasteride for reducing BPH symptoms. They might also undergo surgery to remove the extra prostate tissue. One common surgical procedure for BPH is known as transurethral resection of the prostate .
Lets discover together what Dr. David Samadi recommends in order to prevent prostate cancer and also which vitamin is the most important nutrient you need. He has a special list for men in their early 40s and 50s when they are worried about their large prostate.
Inflammation is a big name for most of the cardiac disease or prostate. So think about the inflammation in order to prevent it. Lycopene is one of the nutrients we should take! We find this a lot in tomato juice and tomato sauce such as ketchup which is very easy and we can have it also with the Italian diet.
Zinc is very healthy for prostate and obviously, other nutrients such as selenium for years was a big topic but that hasnt played a big role. So think of lycopene and zinc, those are good for the healthy prostate. Also, you can take flaxseed and fish oil in order to lower the triglyceride and reduce any kind of inflammation in the vessel.
Green Tea: Questions And Answers
In This Section
Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The way tea leaves are processed determines whether green tea, black tea, or oolong tea is made. Green tea is made by steaming and drying the leaves.
The health benefits studied in green tea are thought to be from compounds called polyphenols. Polyphenols are a group of plant chemicals that include catechins . Catechins make up most of the polyphenols in green tea and vary based on the source of the tea leaves and how they are processed. This makes it hard to identify most of the chemical factors linked to the health benefits of green tea.
Some studies have suggested that green tea may protect against heart and blood vessel disease.
People usually drink green tea or take it as a dietary supplement.
For information on laboratory and animal studies done using green tea, see the Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies section of the health professional version of Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements.
Clinical trials
What Is Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that works like a hormone in the body. It is absorbed in the small intestine and stored in the tissue.
Because its stored in tissues, the body holds on to it for longer periods of time than water-soluble vitamins. The body uses vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorous from the blood stream, so these minerals can be used for proper organ function, nerve health, and bone strength.
We get vitamin D primarily from the sun. Our bodies use a complex process to convert ultraviolet rays into vitamin D. We can also get small amounts of vitamin D from foods like salmon, herring, orange juice, fortified cereals and drinks, or supplements.
Vitamin D has a number of proven health benefits:
- Boosts immune system and ability to fight infections
- Improves life expectancy
- Lowers risk of heart disease and improves cardiovascular function
- Protects brain function and memory may fight Alzheimers
Additionally, vitamin D has been considered a possible treatment for ED because of its positive effects on blood flow .
So how is vitamin D related to BPH?
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Dairy Foods And Calcium
Some research has shown that men who have a diet high in calcium may have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. And men may be more likely to have prostate cancer that is more advanced or aggressive. But there is no evidence to say that excluding dairy foods and calcium from the diet will slow the growth of prostate cancer, or reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
Men with prostate cancer should aim for a healthy balanced diet that includes adequate amounts of calcium. It plays an important part in the way our bodies work. For example it helps keep our bones strong and healthy and helps our muscle to work.
Adults need 700 mg of calcium each day, which most people can get from a balanced healthy diet. Choose low fat and low sugar dairy products.
Good sources of calcium include
- dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurts
- tinned fish that contains the bones, for example, salmon or sardines
- green leafy vegetables
- nuts such as almonds and brazil nuts
- seeds such as sesame seeds
Its difficult to give examples of specific amounts. But a daily 700mg of calcium could include all of the following:
- a small tin of pilchards or sardines
- a 50g portion of broccoli
- 200 mls of milk
It is particularly important if you are having hormone therapy to have adequate amounts of calcium. This is because bone thinning is a side effect of this treatment.
Talk to your GP if you are struggling to eat a balanced diet and ask whether you need to take supplements.
Total Health For The Prostate
Total Health for the Prostate contains a total of 23 all-natural ingredients, including clinically significant dosages of beta-sitosterol, quercetin, pomegranate extract, boron, and turmeric.
Many of the nutrients included in Total Health have been shown in clinical trials to improve urine flow, reduce frequent urination, and lower your PSA score.
Formulated with potent vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, Total Health works to lower DHT levels and reduce the prostate gland size.
Hormonal balance plays a vital role in mens health. When levels of estrogen increase at the same time that testosterone levels decrease, estrogen dominance can occur. This causes testosterone to convert into dihydrotestosterone .
DHT is a highly active form of testosterone that irritates the prostate and can cause prostate enlargement and inflammation.
Therefore, by reducing DHT levels, Total Health for the Prostate helps to combat the root causes of prostate disease and inflammation, in order to restore your health.
Total Health for the Prostate also contains a broad range of minerals and vitamins to help support your general health, working as both a multivitamin and effective prostate supplement.
Prostate Healer is a safe, proprietary, unique blend of the worlds 9 most powerful prostate healing and rejuvenating herbs.
Concentrated extracts of these herbs have been blended into a powerful and effective tincture.
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Vitamin D And Breast Cancer
Scientists have found that vitamin D pathways used to treat breast cancer cells results in a 100% decline in cancer cell activity following a quick 7 day incubation period. These in vitro studies suggest that D3 enables the ability of GcMAF to attack and eradicate human breast cancer cells.
Researchers believe that an interaction between amino acids allows GcMAF receptors to effectively bind and stimulate the invasion of macrophages around cancer cells. Such macrophages are then able to eat and eliminate breast cancer cells.
Other evidence for alternative cancer therapy using the Swiss Protocol supports that D3 and GcMAF may be a powerful duo that removes a breast cancer activator oncogene known as Her-2 .
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Aids In Neurological Protection
Another epidemic health problem we face around the world today relates to the decline in cognitive function. This concern is evident in individuals with Parkinson disease, dementia and other neurological degenerative diseases.
One clinical study presented findings that people with low levels of the active form of vitamin D had reduced neuroprotection and loss of brain development. Adequate vitamin D levels are essential to optimal detoxification processes including support for promoting the antioxidant glutathione and also decreasing levels of nitric oxide in the brain and overall support for the survival of cells.
Another study released in 2010 showed that people who have vitamin D deficiency were at an increased risk by 42% to have cognitive impairment. Those individuals who were classified as severely deficient in vitamin D were at an increased risk of 394% and more likely to present with symptoms of impaired cognitive function. A study analyzing the cognitive performance of more than 3,100 men throughout eight European countries found evidence that men with low vitamin D levels showed impaired thought processing speed .
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Prostate Cancer And Genome Damage
There is a strong link between the prevalence of markers of genome damage and cancer risk. Studies have shown that prevalence of chromosomal aberrations is 2.2-fold to 2.4-fold higher in cancer patients than in non-cancer controls, and that micronuclei formation, a marker for chromosomal instability, was associated with increased cancer incidence in a study of 6718 individuals. There is also evidence to link telomeres to cancer risk. Telomeres are repetitive TTAGGG DNA sequences that maintain genomic stability by protecting the ends of chromosomes they shorten in length over time in normal somatic tissues due to incomplete replication of the telomere. Telomere shortening is accelerated by oxidative stress, inflammation and cell proliferation and has been linked with induction of cell senescence which guards against survival of genomically abnormal cells. Evidence from prospective studies show positive associations between telomere length and various cancers, including that for low-grade and localised PC disease, possibly due to abnormal telomerase expression and telomere elongation, which enables the survival of genomically unstable cells, their unrestricted growth and their evolution into cancer. There is evidence to show that some micronutrients are essential to prevent genome damage but the specific impact of vitamin D is only just starting to be explored.
Vitamin D3 And Prostate Health
A new study published by the journal Clinical Cancer Research , suggests that low blood levels of vitamin D may be linked to more aggressive and advanced cases of prostate cancer.The study suggests that vitamin D may play an important role in how prostate cancer starts and spreads, although it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Researchers arenât yet sure exactly how it comes into play or even if taking extra vitamin D might keep prostate cancer in check.
âWe really donât know, for certain, what role vitamin D plays in cancer . . . either the genesis or beginning of cancer . . . or in defining how aggressive the cancer may be,â he said. âFurther research has to be done.â
What is known is that vitamin D plays several critical roles in how cells develop and grow.
âIt seems to regulate normal differentiation of cells as they change from stem cells to adult cells. And it regulates the growth rate of normal cells and cancer cells.â said study author Dr. Adam Murphy, an assistant professor of urology at Northwestern Universityâs Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.
Vitamin D is also known as the âsunshine vitaminâ because skin makes it when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D levels tend to drop with advancing age, and deficiency is more common in seasons and regions that get less sunlight and in people with darker skin, which naturally blocks the sun.
What about the vitaminâs possible relationship to cancer?
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Cancer Chemoprevention With Vitamin D
Young and his group at Boston University School of Medicine then confirmed that tissue calcitriol concentrations are virtually uncontrolled. That is, the usual mechanisms that regulate blood calcitriol concentrations, calcium, and amounts of calcitriol were introduced. The authors also pointed out that soy would further increase tissue levels and concluded their finding should encourage the further development of nutritionally-based models for prostate cancer chemoprevention using vitamin D.Young MV, Schwartz GG, Wang L, Jamieson DP, Whitlatch LW, Flanagan JN, Lokeshwar BL, Holick MF, Chen TC. The prostate 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1 alpha-hydroxylase is not influenced by parathyroid hormone and calcium: implications for prostate cancer chemoprevention by vitamin D. Carcinogenesis. 2004 Jun 25:96771.
Is Vitamin D Good For The Prostate
Shop all-natural prostate supplements:
Vitamin D is one of the most essential nutrients that the body needs. It plays a vital role in calcium absorption, immune function, and protecting bone, muscle, and heart health.
Often referred to as the sunshine vitamin, the primary natural source of vitamin D is solar exposure. But for most people, this is not enough,
In the video we will take a closer look at some of the research surrounding vitamin d deficiency and prostate cancer risk.TIMESTAMPS1:40 Vitamin D and Tumor Growth3:12 Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer Survival4:00 Vitamin D and Active Surveillance4:47 Outro6:15 Thanks for watching__**Medical Disclaimer** The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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Vitamin D And Your Prostate
Interesting study if from 2013 but I haven’t found any followup on it yet:
Vitamin D and benign prostatic hyperplasia — a review.Espinosa G1, Esposito R, Kazzazi A, Djavan B.Author information
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a more common form of lower urinary tract symptoms . BPH is due to the excessive growth of both stromal and epithelial cells of the prostate. Fifty percent of men over the age of 50 will have this disease, along with the probability that 90% of men at the age of 80 will have an enlarged prostate. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the male urological population may represent a connection between BPH and vitamin D.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
This review is geared to provide the most relevant data on the correlation between vitamin D and BPH. A comprehensive review was conducted on all studies on the specific topic and compiled into a complete article.
RESULTS:
The impact of vitamin D on prostate volume and BPH has shown promising results, thus proposing further studies on vitamin D and BPH be conducted.
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Clinical Trial Study Design
The open-label study enrolled 52 eligible subjects. Forty-eight subjects completed the study and were included in the safety analysis these subjects had complete PSA laboratory results for inclusion in the evaluation of changes in PSA. Forty-four subjects had both baseline and repeat biopsy to compare the number of positive cores and Gleason score with baseline, after completing vitamin D3 supplementation. All subjects had study visits every 2 months for 1 yr to measure serum levels of 25D, PSA, phosphorus, and PTH, plus complete blood count, basic metabolic panel, and urinary calcium to creatinine ratio . In addition, circulating levels of vitamin D3 and 1,252D were measured at baseline and exit in 19 subjects for whom extra serum samples were available.
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How To Take Vitamin D
The Vitamin D Council recommends that people take 5,000 IU daily for 2 to 3 months, then ask their healthcare provider for a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test to check their levels. Once individuals know their bodys level of vitamin D, they can adjust the dosage until their blood levels are between 50 and 80 ng/mL. That is the healthy range recommended by the Vitamin D Council and some other experts.
Low Vitamin D Deficiency Has Been Associated With Increased Risk For Aggressive Prostate Cancer
A September 2019 study published by the University of Illinois suggests that low Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer and that supplementing with vitamin D may contribute to prostate cell health by supporting normal mitochondrial respiration. Basically, that vitamin D can help regulate oxygen flow to prostate cells and help them remain healthy.
In November 2019, doctors in Ireland published research producing further confirmation for how a vitamin D-based regime may be used to counter intracrine mechanisms contributing to the emergence of castrate-resistant tumors.
A January 2021 study in the journal iScience suggest how vitamin D can offer a protective mechanism
Vitamin D is an essential steroid hormone that regulates systemic calcium homeostasis signals and cell fate decisions . . . Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of lethal prostate cancer, which exhibits a dedifferentiated pathology, linking vitamin D sufficiency to epithelial differentiation.
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Symptomatic treatment of an enlarged prostate usually involves a combination of medication and lifestyle changes. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may be the best option if you suffer from chronic urination. It will help the body adjust to the increased size of the prostate. Also, taking regular urination intervals will help retrain the bladder to function properly. Inactivity also contributes to urine retention, and cold temperatures can increase the urge to urinate.
Invasive treatment of enlarged prostate includes medication that relieves the pressure on the urethra and bladder. However, if the condition is severe, it may require surgical intervention. If treatment is not successful, the enlarged prostate can become a potentially life-threatening disease. As the hormone levels in the body change, the enlarged prostate can lead to various complications, including urinary retention and even cancer. This is why it is critical to see a doctor for further evaluation.
How Much Vitamin C Do You Need Per Day
It is suggested we aim for 40mg of vitamin C a day. Again, this nutrient is available in a wide range of foods including fruit and vegetables like peppers, strawberries, broccoli and oranges.
A natural vitamin C supplement, such as Nature C Tablets, will help to top up levels even further. These tablets are made from a wide variety of fruits including blackcurrant, gooseberry and lemon.
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