NATURAL PROSTATE HEALTH

Chapter 1: Diet

Chapter 2: Science and Beta-sitosterol

Chapter 3: Other Benefits of Beta-sitosterol

Chapter 4: Supplements

Chapter 5: Progesterone

Chapter 6: Melatonin

Chapter 7: Androgens

Chapter 8: Estrogens

Chapter 9: Home Hormone Testing

The information contained in this booklet should not be considered medical advice. The ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein belong solely to the author who is not a medical doctor. Except as otherwise noted, no statement in this book has been reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

This book contains the distillation of 30 years of prostate research including BPH (benign prostate hypertrophy), prostate function, beta-sitosterol, saw palmetto and other natural supplements considered to support good prostate health.

Literally every entry in Chemical Abstracts (the “Chemist’s Bible” which contains every published medical article of importance in every scientific journal in the world) for all these topics was reviewed by hand one by one. Every potentially worthwhile entry was carefully scrutinized and, when pertinent, the actual article was obtained even if it had to be translated from a foreign language. Each of these articles, in turn, was read care- fully and any further references followed up on. This took months of work which was done by the author mostly at the National Institute of Health Medical Library (the largest such library in the world) in Bethesda, MD. Unfortunately no one else had ever taken the time and effort to do this much needed and necessary job. All the information was condensed, refined and written in plain English. This the only book that has taken this life saving information out of the medical journals and put it in the hands of the general public.

In particular much of the information on diet, supplements, hormone testing and supplementation, and testosterone : estrogen ratios has never been taken out of the medical literature, simplified and published in a mass distribution book. The dozens and dozens of medical citations are only here to prove the reality of these facts. And certainly no one has ever researched every single medical study listed in Chemical Abstracts for the last 30 years on the amazing and varied potential benefits of beta-sitosterol itself and brought it to the general public. Nature has help for all your problems instead of allopathic (symptom curing) radiation, surgery and poisonous drugs. It’s not the disease that’s the problem - it’s the patient.

Roger Mason, September 1999

Chapter 1 - Diet

Diet is the first chapter as it is the most important aspect generally of good prostate health. In one word we can sum up everything you need to know about diet and your prostate - FAT. Look at the chart on dietary fat intake and prostate cancer; it is almost a 1 to 1 relationship no matter where you go in the world. In the countries like China and Viet Nam that eat as little as 10% vegetable fat calories and almost no animal fats they have as low as one 120th of the prostate cancer rate we do in America. That is less than 1%. If these people move to America and adopt the American forty per cent plus fat intake they get as much or more prostate cancer as we do. This is called a “migration study” and cannot be argued with. Saturated fats come from red meat, dairy products, and the hydrogenated fats we find in margarine and so many processed foods. Eating vegetable oils is better but not good at all. Countries like Italy and Greece that eat large amounts of olive and other vegetable oils have much higher prostate disease rates than Asian countries. So there are no good fats (with the exception of two grams of flax oil as an omega-3 supplement which is a mere 18 calories and is proven to promote prostate health).

Dairy milk regardless of the fat content has been shown to be very correlated with prostate disease (J. Cancer 58 (1986), p. 2363-71) due to the lactose. Use soy milk instead as this is now commonly available in any grocery store. All adults of all races are allergic to lactose as they do not produce the enzyme lactase after the age of three.

Surprisingly no studies have shown a correlation with sugar intake harmful as that is and considering Americans eat over 120 pounds of sugar a year. Sugar is sugar is sugar whether it is honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, “raw” sugar (a real victory of advertising over reality), molasses, sorghum syrup, cane syrup, dextrose, fructose, maltose, amazake, fruit juice, invert syrup, corn syrup, dried fruit, fruit concentrate or any other form of sugar regardless of the name it is given.

Also surprisingly no relation has been shown by smoking, drinking or caffeine intake no matter how unhealthy they are in other ways. I say this reluctantly, but alcoholics have smaller prostates. Nor does excercise seem to correlate with prostate disease although one or two studies seem to show that, others do not. Does anything correlate with prostate health? Yes, grain and cereal intake does as does fiber intake. Also the lower your calorie intake and lower your body weight. In fact Life Sciences, vol. 40 (1987), p. 1761-8, published a study that showed a whole grain based diet raised male testosterone levels substantially. A good 90% of the health and diet books on the market are worthless and the worlds best selling diet author is Robert Atkins who says you should eat 70% fat and meat!!! There are some good authors out there including Dean Ornish, John McDougall, Nathan Pritikin, Susan Powter, Gary Null and any of the “macrobiotic” authors. There are almost no good books on natural prostate health. The most inspiring is Dirk Benedict’s “Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy”. He overcame prostate cancer over 20 years ago by simply going on a macrobiotic diet of whole grains and vegetables. He is alive, well, happy and youthful today as he turned his back on traditional treatments.

Basically you should be eating whole grains like brown rice, whole grain breads, whole wheat pastas, oatmeal, corn meal, barley and other cereals. Dried beans of all kinds are almost as good as whole grains. Most vegetables are good for you, but you should avoid Nightshade species such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. If you doubt this go eat a cup of potato eyes and you will fall over dead from solanine poisoning. You can eat seafood if you want and even skinless chicken once a week. Fruit is limited as it contains basically sugar and water with little nutrition. Tropical foods such as bananas, mangoes, coconuts, avocadoes, pineapples, citrus fruits and other such foods should be avoided as they are meant for people living in very hot tropical climates. Basically you do not eat dairy, milk, poultry, eggs, red meat, refined foods, sweeteners of any kind, preservatives, chemical additives or hydrogenated oils.

The less you eat the longer you live, the better you feel, the healthier you will be and the less prostate problems you are likely to have. Unfortunately Roy Walford is about the only person to write about calorie restriction and longevity and his two books, “The 120 Year Diet “ and “Maximum Lifespan” can be hard to find. Doctors in Japan (Takeda Kenkyushoho 53 (1994), p. 134-50) reduced the prostate weight of rats with simply lowering their calorie intake. Doctors at the University of Wisconsin (Prostate 33 (1997), p. 256-63) showed that lowering caloric intake in rats not only reduced the prostate weight but lengthened their lives dramatically.

Fasting goes even further and is the most powerful of all healing methods as well as the most difficult. You don’t need to be a Christian to appreciate Matthew 17:21 where Christ heals the man possessed by demons saying, “this kind goeth out not but by prayer and by fasting” or Mark 9:29 “this kind can come forth by nothing, but prayer and fasting”. Please remember that fasting means water only. People who advocate so-called juice fasts are just kidding themselves and really going on juice feasts. A look at your local public library or amazon.com or barnes& noble.com will give you a list of books on fasting.

Numerous studies suggest that dietary fat intake, especially animal fats are the main cause of prostate disease are too numerous to mention but we can cover some of them quickly to prove the point inarguably.

The American Health Federation has done a wonderful job of studying the relation between diet and disease especially prostate cancer. In Bull. N.Y. Acad. Med (1980), vo.56, p. 673-96 they showed the development of prostate cancer can be slowed with a low fat, high fiber diet. In Cancer Res. (1982), vol.42, p.3864-9, South African men with prostate cancer have high estrogen levels and low testosterone levels even on their natural diet (only a fraction of American black cancer rates though). When switched to a high at American diet their estrogen rose even further and their testosterone dropped even lower. This is more proof a high estrogen to testosterone ratio could facilitate prostate cancer.

In Lipids (1992), vol. 27, p. 798-803, it was shown fat intake as well as obesity were major causes of prostate disease and backed up with 59 references. Omega-3 fatty acids inhibited cancer while omega-6 stimulated it. This is further proof vegetable oils could be detrimental for you as they mainly are made up of omega-6 fatty acids.

Again in the Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. (1997), vol. 66, p. 998S -1003S dietary fat intake was related to prostate cancer while omega-3 fatty acids inhibited it. In the same issue on pages 1513S - 1522S high fat diets especially those high in omega-6 fatty acids promoted prostate cancer. In Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. (1997), vol. 216, p.224-33, they showed omega-6 acids promoted prostate cancer and omega-3’s inhibited it.

Doctors at the University of Vermont (Amer. J. Clin. Nutr.51 (1990) p. 365-70, showed high fiber diets reduced excessive estrogen levels and thus promoted prostate health.

At Harvard Medical School (JNCI 85 (1993) p. 1571-9) a most definitive study was done showing dietary fat intake, especially saturated animal fat, promoted prostate cancer.

At Loma Linda University in California a 43 page study was done complets with 249 references (Nutrition Research, 14(1994) p. 1853-95), showing beyond any doubt that high fat, low fiber diets are responsible for prostate disease.

At the University of Tokyo (Cancer Research 54 (1994) p. 6129-32) high fat diets in test animals caused both BPH and prostate cancer.

At the University of Wales (Brit. J. Urol. 77 (1996) p. 481-93), a study with 149 references show prostate cancer can be largely prevented with an Asian-style low fat diet.

At the University of Michigan (Anticancer Res. 16 (1996) p. 815-20) doctors showed that the omega-3 fatty acids inhibited prostate cancer while omega-6’s stimulated it, thus proving even vegetable oil is not good for prostate functioning.

The National Cancer Institute (Cancer Epidem. Biomarkers Prev. 5 (1996), p.859-60), showed again that dietary fat intake is the main preventable cause of prostate disease.

At the University of Ohio State (Ann.Rev. Nutr. 18 (1998) p. 413-40) a 28 page study with 193 references was published showing yet again it is dietary fat intake that causes prostate disease.

At Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands (Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 68 (1998) p.142-53) a study with 178 references to verify it showed the clear relation of animal fat intake to prostate diseases.

At the University of Umea in Sweden (Prostate 36 (1998) p.151-61) human prostate cancer cells were transplanted into rats but both soy isoflavones and calorie restriction inhibited their growth.

These studies have been detailed to show beyond any doubt that it is dietary fat intake, especially saturated animal fat, that is a primary cause of prostate illness.

Chapter 2: Science and Beta-sitosterol

Traditionally such herbs as saw palmetto, Pygeum species, nettles, star grass and other herbs have been used to treat prostate problems. The trouble with using these is that generally they only contain a mere one part in three thousand! of the beta-sitosterol complex. That means you would literally have to eat about a pound of saw palmetto berries to get a mere 330mg of beta-sitosterol. Even with the best “10x” (ten times) extracts of these herbs one would still have to eat about two hundred 500mg capsules to get the 330mg of beta-sitosterol! So it is obvious these herbs are useless despite their continual promotion by the so-called natural health industry. Please under- stand that saw palmetto, Pygeum africanum and other herbs and their extracts are simply not effective.

But what about the herbal extracts sold by prescription only over in Europe? These extracts are standardized according to beta-sitosterol content regardless of their source. Whether you buy Permixon in France, Harzol, Tadenan and Azuprostat in Germany or Prostaserene in Belgium, these are all based on how much beta-sitosterol content they have. And they are very, very expensive. A bottle of 60 tablets of Permixon, for example, containing 30mg of beta-sitosterol per tablet will cost about 50 American dollars.

After one really researches beta-sitosterol it becomes obvious that herbs are a completely uneconomic source, but soybeans, sugar cane pulp and pine oil (tall oil) are excellent, inexpensive sources. Many sugar processors now extract the valuable chemicals from the pulp after the sugar is pressed out.

There are dozens and dozens of classic double blind studies done with real men on the effects of beta-sitosterol on benign prostate hypertrophy or BPH. We’ll discuss a few of these to give you some exaples of the first rate research that has been done around the world.

A study published in volume 21 of Eurpean Urology (1992), at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Rome, DiSilverio and his colleagues studied 35 men with BPH for 3 months and gave half of them a placebo (inert capsules). They concluded, “On the basis of these considerations, monotherapy with S. repens extract (beta-sitosterol extracted from saw palmetto) may be more favorably accepted, since on account of similar clinical results, when compared to the combination therapy cyproterone acetate plus tamoxifen...”

The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in volume 18 (1984) at the Hospital Ambroise in Paris, Champault and two other doctors did a classic double blind study with 110 men half of them getting a placebo. They concluded, “Thus as predicted by pharmacological and biochemical studies PA109 (4 tablets of Permixon daily) would therefore appear to be a useful therapeutic tool in the treatment of BPH.”

In volume 98 of the German journal Fortschrifte Medizin (1980) at the Klinische Endokrinologie in Freiburg, Zahradnik and other doctors studied the beta-sitosterols taken from star grass sold as the prescription extract Harzol in regard to the development of prostate enlargement and prostaglandin levels. High prostaglandin levels support tumor growth.

In the Italian journal Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica, volume 37 (1985), doctors at the University of Padova studied the effect of beta-sitosterol extract on 27 men with BPH. Dr. Tasca and his associates measured urine flow and other parameters in men ranging from ages 49 to 81 compared to men receiving a placebo.

In Medical Science Research, volume 16 (1983), Drs. Malini and Vanithakumari at the Institute of Medical Sciences in Madras, India studied the effect of beta-sitosterol on the fructose concentration of the prostate. Fructose is vital to the function of the prostate with regard to the androgenic hormones such as DHEA and testosterone. This was a very unique and thorough study lasting almost two months.

One of the very best studies done was published in the British Journal of Urology, volume 80 (1997), at the University of Dresden. Drs. Klippel, Hilti and Schipp studied 177 men for 6 months who suffered from BPH. Half the men got a placebo and half got the prescription extract Azuprostat containing 130mg of beta-sitosterol. They cited a full 32 references to substantiate their research. They carefully screened all the men and tested them extensively during the study. They concluded, “These results show that beta-sitosterol is an effective option in the treatment of BPH.”

In the journal Urolage A, volume 24 (1985) at the University of Basel, Switzerland, Dr. Vontobel and his colleagues studied a strong extract of nettles containing a high concentration of beta-sitosterol in a double blind study of 50 men for nine weeks. They said that the use of beta-sitosterols from nettles, “The evaluation of the objective parameters showed significant differences.”

In the Lancet, vol 345 (1995) a very professional study was done at the University of Bochum in Herne, Germany by Dr. Berges and his associates. They used pure beta-sitosterol with 200 men half of whom received a placebo over the course of a year. They said, “Significant improvement in symptoms and urinary flow parameters show the effectiveness of beta-sitosterol in the treatment of BPH.” This is clearly one of the most important and well done studies on prostate ever published.

Again, in Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica, volume 39 (1987), Drs. Bassi et al at the University of Padova studied 40 men with BPH with and extract of Pygeum africanum with a high beta-sitosterol content. Half the men received a placebo and many parameters were measured for the two month study. They concluded, “The preliminary results demonstrate a significant improvement of the frequency, urgency, dysuria (difficult, painful urination) and urinary flow in patients treated with the active drug.”

In the German journal Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, volume 22 (1990) at eight different urological clinics in Europe 263 total patients with BPH were studied over a two month period. They were given either Tadenan (a Pygeum africanum extract standardized for beta-sitosterol content) or a placebo. This very extensive study compiled from different clinics and different doctors yet all agreed that, “Treatment with the Pygeum africanum extract led to a marked clinical improvement: a comparison of the quantitative parameters showed a significant difference between the Pygeum africanum group and the placebo group with respect to therapeutic response.”

In volume 77 of the German journal Midizinische Klinik (1982) a study done at the Urological Clinik of Krankenhauser in Ludenscheid-Hellersen was performed on 23 patients. Dr. Szutrely gave the patients either Harzol (herbal extract standardized for beta-sitosterol content) or a placebo for patients with prostate enlargement over a two month period. They measured their prostates with ultrasound equipment before and after treatment. At the end he said, “Within the scope of a controlled double blind study to demonstrate the effect of conservative therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia with Harzol, ultrasonic examination of the prostate adenoma (enlargement) was carried out on 23 patients before and after therapy with the trial preparation of a placebo. Within a two month treatment with Harzol there was a significant change in echo structure of the prostate adenoma, and this is interpreted as a reduction in the interstitial formation of oedema (swelling).”

A most unique review of 31 years of studies was published in the volume 280 of the Journal of the American Medical Association (1998) where they chose 18 different trials involving 2,939 men in total who were treated for BPH with strong extracts of saw palmetto containing beta-sitosterol. They said after reviewing all these studies, “The evidence suggests that Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) improves urologic symptoms and and flow measures.”

Another unique review in a different manner was done by Dr. Buck in the British Journal of Urology, volume 78 (1996). At the Department of Urology in Glasgow, Scotland he did a 12 page review of herbal therapy for the prostate including Harzol, Tadenan, Permixon, Strogen and Sabalux (all European prescription herbal extracts standardized for beta-sitosterol content). He documents his review with 59 published worldwide studies and discusses the biological basis of prostate illness. His conclusions of the efficacy of herbal treatment of prescription drugs and therapy are well founded certainly.

In volume 55 of Current Therapeutic Research (1994) a study done at the University of Brussels, Belgium by Dr. Braeckman using Prostaserene (an extract standardized for beta-sitosterol) for a mere six weeks led him to conclude, “Tradi tional parameters for quantifying prostatism, such as the International Prostate Symptom Score, the quality of life score, urinary flow rates, residual urinary volume, and prostate size were found to be significantly improved after only 45 days of treatment. After 90 days of treatment, a majority of patients (88%) and treating physicians (88%) considered the therapy effective.”

These have been only a few of the many dozens of studies that have appeared in the major medical journals around the world that have been done in some of the most important urological clinics. This shows that it is, in fact, beta-sitosterol that is the active ingredient in herbs. American herbal products - even the most expensive extracts that claim “85% fatty acids and sterols” - have almost no beta-sitosterol in them and it is never mentioned on the label because of this fact, suggesting that every OTC natural prostate remedy sold in the U.S. has little if any value at all.

Chapter 3: Other Benefits of Beta-sitosterol

While beta-sitosterol is a ost important supplement you can use for good prostate health, it has many other benefits and can be used by both men and women.

A notable benefit is the promotion of healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Over thirty years ago studies showed this effect with no change in diet or exercise and since then over 50 articles have been published in international medical journals for studies done on both humans and laboratory animals. You need to take about 300mg a day and this can be split in order to take 150mg in the AM and 150mg in the PM. If you do lower your fat intake and exercise the results could be much more dramatic of course, but in these studies there were no changes in either to get results. Common sense tells you to cut down or cut out saturated animal fat, dairy and especially unnatural hydrogenated fats which are found in so many of our processed foods. Surprisingly the intake of vegetable oils does not raise cholesterol or triglyceride levels. However vegetable oils generally contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids (which are very different from healthful omega-3 fatty acids) that have been shown to contribute to such conditions as arthritis and prostate disease.

We will not list the over 50 studies, but human studies were published in journals such as Canadian Journal of Biochemistry, Scandinavian Journal of Gastrology, Journal of Lipid Research, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Joshi Eiyo Daigaku Kiyo, Clinica Chimica Acta, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Metabolism Clinical Experiments, Current Thera peutic Research and Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. With this overwhelming proof of the effectiveness of a safe, natural, inexpensive plant extract with no material side effects you would think doctors would be giving this to all their patients with high cholesterol levels. Instead they are given prescription drugs with side effects that aren’t known entirely or even very effective in reducing cholesterol. And surprisingly beta-sitosterol is very hard to find in drug stores, health food stores and mail order vitamin catalogs.

Studies have been done in other areas of illness that suggest beta-sitosterol may have great potential in many other areas such as diabetes, blood clotting, ulcers, atherosclerosis and inflammation. Since beta-sitosterol is found in nearly all our vegetables it makes sense that this really a necessary nutrient and will be so recognized in the future.

The following studies are discussed for educational and not to infer that beta-sitosterol can be used to cure these conditions.

In Food Chemistry high blood sugar levels in hyperglycemic rats were lowered by giving them oral beta-sitosterol. This was also shown in Archives of Internal Pharmacodynamics. In Biochemical Biophysical Research Communications diabetic rats improved their diamine oxidase levels (DAO) with oral beta-sitosterol. DAO levels are a basic marker in this condition. The same thing was shown in Pure and Applied Chemistry where glucose-6-phosphatase levels were lowered, which is desirable in diabetes.

Studies also indicate beta-sitosterol may help to protect our stomach linings and prevent the formation of ulcers. In the Chinese journals Huaxi Yike Daxue Xuebo and Huaxi Yaoxue Zazhi doctors showed oral beta-sitosterol protected against stomach ulcers in rats. In Digestion Dissertation Science stomach lesions were reduced 80% with oral beta-sitosterol in test animals.

Anti-bacterial and anti-microbial ability has been shown as well as anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Such activity was even shown against deadly bacteria such as Staph and E. coli. These studies were published in such journals as Plant Science, the Journal of Agricultural Food Science, Biorganic Chemistry, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Fitoterapia, and Hon’guk Nonghwa Hakhoechi.

Studies have shown beta-sitosterol intake to improve blood parameters generally in various ways. Such studies have been published in journals such as International Journal of Immunopharmacology, Sogo Rinsho, Folio Haematol, Biochemical Society Transactions, Medical Philosophy, and Tanpakushitsu Kakusan Koso.

The potential for preventing high blood pressure has been shown. This is epidemic in America due to the fat clogged arteries which, in turn, leads to heart attacks and strokes. Four such studies were published in Zhongcaoyao, Atherosclerosis, Journal of Atherosclerosis Research and Patol. Fiziol. Eksp. Ter. (Russia) where oral supplements of beta-sitosterol suggested improvement atherosclerotic symptoms.

Beta-sitosterol has shown strong anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic (anti-heat) properties which should be investigated especially for various arthritis conditions. Patents were granted in America and Europe for treating inflammation with beta-sitosterol orally and studies were published in Boll-Soc. Italia Biologica and Planta Medicina.

To show that beta-sitosterol intake has value for women as well as men in addition to normalized cholesterol three studies suggested beneficial effects on the uterus and reproductive system of female test animals. In Plant Medicine Phytotherapy, Biochemistry Molecular Biology International and Medical Science Research studies were published showing these benefits.

Without mentioning any more journals it is important to know that many other studies of beta-sitosterol on both humans and animals have shown a wide range of potential benefits. Increases in SOD (superoxide dismutase) levels which are critical in immunity and lifespan. People with certain illnesses also have low beta-sitosterol intake. Vegetarians eat 50% more beta-sitosterol than meat eaters and are known to be healthier and live longer.

Topical uses have been studied for keratosis, acne, psoriasis and skin protein synthesis. Cattle with fat necrosis have been treated with beta-sitosterol. It has been shown to have anti-tussive (anti-cough) properties. It may raise glutathione levels which are vital to immunity and lifespan. Beta-sitosterol has strong immune enhancing properties which need to be studied more.

And why hasn’t this been studied more and why isn’t it more available and information like this widely disseminated? There’s just no profit in selling an unpatentable, non-prescription, plant extract that can inexpensively be extracted from sugar cane pulp, soybeans and pine oil.

Chapter 4 : Supplements

It is important to always remember that diet is the most important thing we can do for our health. Or to put it more broadly our diet and lifestyle including smoking, drinking alcohol, exercise, coffee and other such things. Supplements are very secondary to diet but very, very important. You can do a lot more with both diet and supplements than just diet alone. All the supplements we are going to discuss are natural, safe and inexpensive.

A most important supplement you can take is beta- sitosterol. The prescription herbal extracts used by doctors in Europe are taken from herbs like saw palmetto and Pygeum africanum and are very weak and expensive. Harzol is only 30mg and Azuprostat is the strongest at 120mg. It is a good idea to take a full 300mg of beta-sitosterol a day. Taking more than this will not help and just costs you more. You can cut the tablet in half and take 150mg AM and PM if you want to. The studies on beta-sitosterol are listed in chapter 2

A most important mineral you can take is zinc. The prostate contains ten times more zinc than any other part of the body and there are too many studies to count on the importance of zinc in prostate metabolism. Low zinc levels have been correlated with low testosterone levels. In the Japanese journal Kitakanto Igaku researchers found low levels of zinc in prostate cancer patients. Some other valuable studies have been done in such journals as Journal of Nutrition, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, Endokrinologiya, Prostate and too many others to list. You only need about 15 mg of zinc daily and taking too much is detrimental. Zinc is generally deficient in our diets and there are many other benefits to supplementing it.

Flax seed oil is very good for prostate health and contains omega-3 fatty acids. We’ve emphasized that you have to eat a diet low in both vegetable and animal fats, but omega-3 fatty acids are the one exception. Two articles in Anticancer Research suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may have important protective properties for human prostate cells in vitro. Take two grams a day - one in the AM and one in the PM. This is a mere 18 calories of beneficial flax oil. The more research that is done on flax oil the more benefits are seen from it and flax is by far the best source. Do not take fish oil supplements for many reasons even though many of the studies on omega-3 fatty acids earlier were done using fish liver oils. Keep your flax oil refrigerated.

Soy isoflavones have gotten a lot of attention recently but who has bothered to tell you they may have great value for your prostate? The studies on soy isoflavones on prostate health have been numerous but only in the last seven years. The main constituents in soy that we are concerned with are genestein and daidzein. These are not “phytoestrogens” as many people will tell you as there is no estrogen (or testosterone, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, etc.) in any plant. Studies on prostate health and isoflavones have been published in journals such as Prostate, Anticancer Research, Journal of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Cancer, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and many other journals. The proof here is overwhelming. Get a good brand that lists the amount of genestein and daidzein on the label and take one in the AM and one in the PM.

The value of selenium is undeniable and this is a most important trace element you can take and you only need a mere 200mcg (one fifth of one milligram) a day. Even if this is in your multi-vitamin and mineral tablet it is probably not enough. Take a 200mcg tablet a day of any brand. Selenium, like many minerals and trace elements, is often deficient in our diets due to processed foods. There are many other benefits to taking this as well.

Vitamin D rarely occurs in our diets and is basically made by our exposure to sunlight. It is important to take 800 IU of vitamin D a day, preferably 400 IU AM and PM. It is surprising that nearly all the research on vitamin D and prostate has only come out in the last five years but there are about a dozen clinical studies proving the importance of vitamin D to prostate function. These include studies in such journals as Cancer Research, Anticancer Research, Prostate, Clinical Cancer Research, Cancer Letters, Surgical Forum and other respected international journals.

We all know that vitamin E is a very beneficial nutrient especially for our cardiovascular health and that our American diets are generally deficient in vitamin E. Whole grains are the best source. Take a 400 IU supplement daily and don’t pay a lot of money for it; just get the usual dl-alpha tocopherol you see everywhere. At East Carolina University in North Carolina researchers found vitamin E to suppress human prostate cancer cells in vitro. In Finland a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Foundation showed a 32% reduction in prostate cancer when vitamin E supplements were taken. Other studies were published in the Journal of Urology and Nutrition and Cancer.

We all have heard garlic is good for cardiovascular health but who has ever told you garlic may help your prostate? You need a good, dependable name brand here as some garlic extracts are almost useless and they differ very much in constiuents. In the book “Nutraceuticals” by Lachance he lists 44 references in his study of the beneficial effects of garlic extracts on prostate health. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1997 a very good study showed the value of garlic supplemen- tation for prostate health.

A Chinese study showed the importance of glutathione levels for prostate health in the journal Shondong Yike Daxue Xuebo. Our glutathione levels are critical for immunity and how long we live. Taking glutathione itself surprisingly is expensive as well as somewhat ineffective. Fortunately you can take an inexpensive 600mg capsule of N-acetyl-cysteine and enhance your glutathione levels very effectively and safely. This is widely available so buy any brand. You will gain many benefits by raising your glutathione levels especially raising your immunity so you fight disease.

The value of green tea extract has been shown in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Letters. The problem is finding a good brand that is decaffeinated. It is not good to buy the many cheaper brands that contain caffeine obviously so look for a brand that is clearly marked “decaffeinated” if possible.

Citrus pectin has been shown to have value in actual prostate cancer. It most probably has value in BPH as well. Studies were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and Biochemical Molecular Biology International showing the anticancer properties of citrus pectin. Expensive “modified” pectin is promoted but plain, inexpensive citrus pectin is very bioavailable. Take a good 5 grams a day in juice as it is tasteless.

In Cancer Research beta-carotene intake showed a strong correlation with reduced prostate cancer in Japanese men. This is an important antioxidant and 25,000 IU of any brand daily is good.

Quercitin is something you may have never heard of but studies in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and the Japanese journal Daizu Tan. Ken. Kaishi show it can help promote prostate health. 250 to 500mg of any brand daily is good. This is a good supplement for many other reasons as well, a good antioxidant.

Vitamin C has received too much attention in the media especially for megadoses, but studies do show its importance in prostate function. Studies in Surgical Forum, Prostate, Cellular Biology International and many other journals suggest strong anticancer properties. Be sure to not take more than 250mg a day. Taking megadoses of vitamin C will acidify your blood (blood is naturally alkaline) and cause numerous side effects over time.

As we age our human growth hormone falls and as it falls the likelyhood of developing prostate disease rises. Raising our growth hormone levels could strengthen our immunity and allow us to live longer. Unfortunately actual HGH is very expensive, must be injected, is dangerous and is known to cause severe side effects. There are countless promotional products that claim to raise HGH but none of them appear to do so. Fortunately, there is a simple, inexpensive, effective and safe way to do this by simply taking a gram of L-glutamine in the AM and one in the PM. Please do not fall for the promotional products that claim to raise HGH. L-glutamine is an amino acid with many health benefits especially in strengthening our intestines.

And speaking of intestines, while there are no studies to show the value of taking acidophilus for prostate health this is another supplement you should take. Our intestines are generally in terrible shape from eating the wrong foods and too much food. Eating healthy foods and eating less and taking a good brand of acidophilus twice daily will change that. You must find a good brand that states every tablet or capsule has at least 3 billion live organisms at time of manufacture. Keep this refrigerated. Take “FOS” with this. FOS is an indigestible sugar that feeds the good bacteria in our intestines. Take a capsule with your acidophilus.

Herbs such as saw palmetto and Pygeum africanum, etc. have been shown to contain insignificant amounts of phytosterols and no matter how strong the extract they are useless. The exception is rye and other similar pollens as they contain a hydroxamic acid called “DIBOA”. Unfortunately pollen (not bee pollen!) extracts contain very little DIBOA and are very expensive. Unless someone synthesizes this and puts it on the market don’t bother. And we must discuss a very questionable promotion called lycopene which is the product of the major ketchup manufacturer in the world. It is claimed that the more pizza men remembered eating on questionaires correlated with prostate health! This is asinine on the surface. Many studies contradict this and actual serum level studies of lycopene proved there is no correlation between tomato intake and prostate health. In fact no matter how many fresh tomatoes or tomato juice you eat you won’t raise lycopene levels at all - you must eat cooked tomatoes with fats. Don’t fall for this no matter how much advertising you hear about it. Men in Asia who have the lowest rates of prostate disease in the world almost never eat tomatoes in the diets anyway.

There are seventeen supplements recommended here all of which have been shown to be safe, effective, natural and inexpensive. Within reason take as many as you can as they have many other health benefits. Please remember the alternative probably is surgery, radiation, dangerous prescription drugs and you can end up wearing diapers and never having sex again before you die a painful premature death.

Suggested supplements: