How to Look After Your Prostate

Issues with the prostate are a common male health concern. Poor prostate health can mean frequent trips to the bathroom, pain when urinating, and even sexual dysfunction.

Read on to find out how you can look after your prostate and reduce your risk of suffering from prostate issues.

What Does the Prostate Do?

Your prostate gland is found under your bladder. Its main role is to produce seminal fluid. However, it also assists with hormone balance and urinary flow. Running through the centre of the prostate gland is the urethra, the tube carrying urine and semen.

What Are the Symptoms of Poor Prostate Health?

Prostate health issues can cause a range of symptoms associated with urination and sexual function.

Frequent need to urinate, particularly at night.
Weak and slow urinary flow, which takes a while to start, and dribbles after you’ve finished urinating.
Pain or burning when you urinate. Occasionally, you might see blood in your urine.
Difficulty in maintaining an erection or pain upon ejaculation.
Pain in your lower back, hips, or thighs.

Prostate Enlargement

The above symptoms are associated with enlargement of the prostate. If it grows, it can press on the urethra, causing the difficulties around urination. This condition is called benign prostate enlargement (BPE), or benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

An enlarged prostate is very common as men become older. In fact, around three out of ten men over 50 suffer from prostate issues, rising to eight out of ten by age 70.

Prostatitis

If the prostate becomes inflamed and painful, this condition is known as prostatitis. It’s often caused by bacteria but sometimes other factors, like chronic inflammation. Along with a need to pass water frequently, you might experience pain or a burning sensation during urination, or cloudy urine.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with over 55,000 men diagnosed with the disease in 2023.

It’s caused when prostate gland cells multiply out of control. It’s a very slow-growing type of cancer. However, early detection is linked to better outcomes.

A blood test measuring levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is used to flag up possible prostate cancer. PSA tends to be elevated in cases of benign prostate enlargement and higher still in cases of prostate cancer. However, PSA readings can be high for other reasons, including age, recent medical procedures, medications, and ethnicity. Therefore, if the result reveals an elevated PSA result, further tests would be needed.

What Causes Prostate Issues?

Prostate enlargement is connected with testosterone levels. Your prostate gland converts testosterone into a stronger hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Elevated levels of this type of testosterone are positively correlated with prostate enlargement.

A rise in oestrogen in males can stimulate prostate cell growth because prostate cells are receptive to oestrogen. Obesity, particularly an accumulation of fat around the belly, stress, or poor liver function can cause elevated oestrogen.

Scientists have discovered men with a lower diversity of bacteria in their gut microbiome are more likely to suffer from inflammation of the prostate.

How to Maximise Your Prostate Health

Oxidative stress can damage cellular DNA. Therefore, eating a diet high in natural plant antioxidants can help protect against this damage. Antioxidants are highest in colourful plant foods, so aim to eat a range of different coloured fruit and vegetables each day. One study found men who ate plenty of fruit and vegetables had fewer symptoms of prostate enlargement (1). Including plant foods containing natural fibre in your diet will nourish your gut microbiome, too.
An antioxidant called lycopene seems to inhibit the growth of prostate cells (2). It’s found in red and pink foods like tomatoes, pink grapefruits, papaya, watermelons, apricots, red cabbage, and red peppers.
Zinc is especially important for the prostate, with low levels connected with prostate enlargement (3). It’s rich in pumpkin and sesame seeds, nuts, legumes, and seafood. As a bonus, pumpkin seeds contain a substance called beta-sitosterol, which may help improve urinary flow (4).
Studies suggest high levels of the stress hormone cortisol are connected with elevated PSA levels. Lack of quality sleep is linked with poor prostate health, too, so make time to prioritise your sleep.
Keep a healthy weight. An enlarged prostate is more common in men who are overweight.

Integrative Medicine Support for Optimal Prostate Health

If you would like personalised help and support for your prostate, we’re here to help. We treat you as a unique person, meaning your path to optimal health will be as individual as you are. Your ideal first step is an Integrative Health Assessment, a deep dive into your health concerns. You’ll receive recommendations for support from our range of expert therapists, complemented by functional testing if required to discover the root causes of your health issues.

For example, our Functional Nutritionist may evaluate your nutrient levels to discover any deficiencies in prostate-friendly nutrients, and may recommend herbs to support prostate function, like saw palmetto, Pygeum bark, or nettle. If stress is impacting your hormones, we have a range of mind/body therapies to call upon, such as Emotional Freedom Technique or Neuro-Psychoeducation, to help you reframe your relationship to stress.

Start your journey to better prostate health today!