Prostate Supplements

Beta-sitosterol

In the two major studies performed, beta-sitosterol has been shown to be very safe and effective, with most of the improvement occurring in the first month, then continuing for the duration of the study, without any relevant side effects. Beta-sitosterol supports good prostate health primarily by maintaining healthy male hormone balances. Starting about age 40, men's levels of a hormone called prolactin increases, stimulating the production of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. This in turn increases the conversion of testosterone to the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) form, triggering growth of the prostate, and all the ensuing problems. Maintaining a healthy prostate with beta-sitosterol reduces the symptoms of BPH by naturally impeding the conversion to DHT.

One recent study indicates that Beta-sitosterol, in vitro, activates the sphingomyelin cycle, decreasing the growth of your prostate cancer cells and inducing apoptosis (normal, programmed cell death) fourfold. The presence of adequate phytosterols also helps maintain adequate interleukin-2 and gamma-interferon levels, in turn increasing natural killer cell activity.

In Health Counselor magazine Michael Murray, N.D., a leading researcher in the field of natural medicine and co-author of the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine reports that numerous studies on the saw palmetto extract (beta-sitosterol ) have shown it to be effective in nearly 90 percent of patients, usually in a period of four to six weeks.

Here is a brief summary report with additional information on Beta Sitosterol and why it’s the most important supplement you need for prostate health and a worry-free life. 

Lycopene

Antioxidants are chemicals that attack roaming oxygen molecules (free radicals), which are suspected of triggering cancer. All antioxidants are helpful to your body; in particular lycopene has been shown to be beneficial for prostate health and a powerful defense against prostate cancer.

A 6-year study done at Harvard University involving 50,000 men revealed that those who ate foods high in lycopene were up to 45% less likely to develop prostate cancer. In another double-blind study, patients treated with lycopene had smaller prostates than an untreated control group. And some cancer patients who received lycopene showed signs of regression and decreased malignancy. In these tests, lycopene slowed the spread and growth of the cancer.

Zinc

Numerous clinical studies have proven zinc's usefulness in treating prostate diseases. Melvyn Werbach, M.D., author of Nutritional Influences on Illness, says that the prostate gland contains a higher concentration of zinc than any other organ in the body. For this reason, a deficiency in zinc is a helpful predictor in the diagnosis of prostate disease. In a study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry in 1984, researchers found that zinc helps to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate and relieve the symptoms of BPH by inhibiting the activity of a key enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. This is the enzyme that converts testosterone to the dangerously potent dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which has been shown to cause the excessive overgrowth of the prostate tissue.

DIM (diindolymethane)

Diindolylmethane, or DIM for short, is a plant compound with health-promoting properties. DIM and other plant indoles are found in all cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. It is well known that estrogen levels in men rise as they age. Diindolylmethane is responsible for healthy estrogen breakdown in the body. There's growing evidence that benign prostate enlargement and some types of prostate cancer may be related to a buildup of estrogen in the prostate gland.

In a recent study completed at the University of California at Berkley shows that diindolylmethane (DIM), acts as a powerful anti-androgen that inhibits the proliferation of human prostate cancer cells in culture tests.

The research determined that androgen-dependent cancer cells treated with a solution of DIM grew 70 per cent less than the same type of cancer cells that had been left untreated. This was confirmed with further tests showing that DIM inhibits the actions of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the primary androgen involved in prostate cancer. The study also found a significant drop in the level of PSA.

 Effective, All Natural Prostate Formula contains 80 mg of DIM, the exact amount used in studies that produce remarkable results.

Other Important Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin E

All natural vitamin E is a powerful ally in your fight against prostate disease. Now there's evidence that it may help fight prostate cancer. A University of Helsinki study in Finland gave 29,133 men, ages 50 to 69, vitamin E, beta-carotene, both supplements together, or a placebo. The treatments continued for about eight years. Compared with the placebo group, the men taking vitamin E were 36% less likely to develop prostate cancer. The results of the study also suggested that vitamin E may help prevent prostate cancer from moving from the latent to the progressive stages.

Learn more about the benefits of Vitamin E

Selenium

Selenium works with vitamin E to protect your cells. Together, they make up a powerful defense against cell damage, which can lead to cancer. A large study involving 1,312 patients in the eastern U.S. showed that those taking 200 micrograms of selenium a day had significantly lower rates of total cancer - including colon, prostate, and lung cancers.