Can Nutrition Help With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?

Researchers are only just beginning to understand the possible connections between diet and risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that’s common in older men. As well, researchers are starting to study how diet may affect the likelihood of BPH getting worse in men who already have it. From what is known so far, it appears that a diet that promotes good overall heart health is ideal for men with BPH. This type of diet may reduce the likelihood of getting this condition in the first place as well.

Certainly, there is no reason not to follow a heart healthy diet if you have BPH. Heart disease is the number one killer of men in the United States. For this reason, all men should be concerned about heart health. In addition to lowering you risk for heart disease, following a heart-healthy diet may be just what the doctor ordered for managing BPH.

Healthy Heart = Healthy Prostate

One idea that is gaining attention among health care providers who manage prostate disease is that a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle also may protect against prostate diseases. This includes BPH and prostate cancer.

In particular, researchers have noticed that men who have conditions that increase heart disease risk also have a higher risk of being diagnosed with BPH. As well, these conditions seem to make it more likely that BPH will get worse in men who already have it. This means that these men have faster and more aggressive prostate enlargement (growth) as compared to men who do not have these same heart disease risk factors. And more prostate enlargement means more symptoms of BPH, which is something you want to avoid.

The conditions that seem to increase risk of both heart disease and BPH include being overweight or obese; having a large waist measurement or “carrying your weight in your belly”; diabetes; low levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol; high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol; high blood pressure; and high levels of insulin in the body, even in men without diabetes.

Obesity & Diabetes

It appears that being significantly overweight or obese raises the risk of BPH. Obesity raises the risk of BPH getting worse in men who already have it too. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of diabetes and diabetes seems to increase the risk of BPH.

For all of these reasons, you’ll want to make a healthy body weight one of your top priorities to ensure optimal prostate health. This is doubly important if you carry your extra weight around your belly, which is where most men store excess fat.

Also keep in mind that maintaining a healthy body weight can help manage diabetes if you have it. Staying at a healthy weight can help prevent diabetes if you are at risk of this disease too. And anyone who is obese, which is about 30 to 40 pounds or more over a healthy body weight, is at risk of diabetes.

If you have diabetes, keeping you blood sugar in a healthy range is important for protecting your overall health and the health of your prostate. Work with your doctor to keep your blood sugar numbers under control. Take your medications as prescribed. Follow your health care provider’s advice on diet and exercise. These steps are crucial to maintaining good health.