Best supplements for the prostate: Three ways you can boost prostate health

Prostate health is usually accompanied by social stigma which can jeopardise the long-term health of many men.

A healthy diet from an early age can ensure a healthy prostate in later life.

Eating the right foods associated with a healthy diet should be your first port of call - five fruit and vegetables a day, starchy foods like potatoes, bread rice or pasta, some dairy, beans, pulses, fish eggs, meat and other protein, and unsaturated oils and spreads.

But some experts recommend taking a supplement to keep the prostate in tip-top shape.

Pycnogenol

A new study published in Minerva Medica has found that daily supplementation with the natural French maritime pine bark extract, commonly known as Pycnogenol, can reduce symptoms related to enlarged prostate within just 60 days.

“Symptoms of enlarged prostate are often painful and can interfere with daily activities – even disrupting sleep,” says Dr. Steven Lamm, medical director at NYU Langone Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health.

“Most of my patients experience urgency of urination, weak flow and inability to fully empty their bladder. Some report pain while urinating. Enlarged prostate affects nearly all men and most pharmaceuticals take up to six months to show results. This initial study shows measurable benefit from Pycnogenol within 60 days – a natural option without side effects.”

After eight weeks, participants were monitored using ultrasound investigations to determine residual urinary volume in the bladder and prostate size. Results showed that supplementation with 150mg of Pycnogenol daily provided immediate improvement of major symptoms, including:

• Significant improvement of residual bladder volume by 51 per cent (vs. 35 per cent improvement in the control group / 41 percent improvement in dudasteride and finasteride group)
• Significant improvement of bladder emptying by 42 per cent (vs. nine per cent improvement in the control group / six per cent improvement in the dudasteride and finasteride group)
• Reduction in frequency of urination by 37 per cent (vs. 12 per cent improvement in the control group / 14 percent improvement in dudasteride and finasteride group)

Multivitamin and mineral supplements

However a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good way to ensure you’re getting everything your body needs, especially at times when you feel your diet may be comprised, according to Healthspan head of nutrition Rob Hobson.

Rob recommends multivitamin and mineral supplements such as Healthspan Multivitality Gold.

He added: “The traditional herbal remedy saw palmetto has long been used to help relieve urinary symptoms in men diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as prostate gland enlargement, and offers an alternative approach worth exploring for a few months to see if it helps.”

Vitamin D

There has been some research showing men with prostate cancer who took vitamin D supplements had a drop in their PSA levels.

Cancer Research UK explains: “The PSA is a protein in the blood called prostate specific antigen.

“The PSA blood test is used to help diagnose prostate cancer as well assess how well the treatment has worked.

“But the evidence is not strong enough to say that vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of cancer coming back.”

Supplements have risen in popularity over the last few years and there are claims and research which demonstrates they can help with a range of health conditions.

Vitamin B is one of the most important groups when it comes to health function of the body.