People can feel overwhelmed when finding the right dietary supplement. Which one should you take? What’s it good for? Do I really need it?
When your prostate is larger than usual, it can cause problems such as a feeling of urinating throughout the day, a weak urine stream, pain during urination, etc. Your doctor will prescribe some medicine to ease your discomfort, depending on the extent of the problem.
However, using medication alone may not be the best strategy. Instead, you will need the right combination of diet, healthy lifestyle, and dietary supplements.
In this article, we’ll be discussing the benefits of taking prostate supplements and how to choose one.
Why is prostate health important?
The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland located between the penis and the urethra. The prostate plays a crucial role in the male reproductive system and helps produce the fluid part of men’s semen.
Like many other parts of the body, the prostate is not exempt from health conditions. These include:
- Prostate cancer: This type of cancer develops in the prostate and is the leading cause of death worldwide.
- Chronic prostatitis: State of prostate inflammation. Both viral and bacterial infections can be caused with varying symptoms.
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia: This is the enlargement of the prostate gland resulting in many lower urinary tract infections. This problem is generally found in older men.
The early stage of prostate condition does not show any symptoms. However, as the disease progress, several other symptoms may appear, such as:
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Erectile dysfunction
- Painful ejaculation
- Waking up in the middle of the night to urinate
- Pain in the pelvic area and lower back
Doctors may prescribe several supplements to minimise these symptoms.
What supplements are good for the prostate gland?
The most commonly used supplements for the prostate include:
- Pygeum
- Ryegrass
- Saw palmetto
- Beta-sitosterol
Pygeum
Derived from the bark of an African plum tree, pygeum is used to treat enlarged prostates in males. Using it may relieve urinary problems like poor urine flow and nighttime urination.
Ryegrass
Scientific studies have proven that Ryegrass helps shrink the prostate, thereby aiding a better flow of urine and emptying the bladder quickly. Doctors often prescribe this supplement due to its positive impact on several symptoms, such as:
- Pain while urinating
- Constantly feeling the need to urinate
- Dribbling after urination
- Having a weak urine stream
- Feeling an urge to frequently urinate throughout the day
Saw palmetto
While helping lower the pressure on the tubes that carry urine in males, this compound also reduces the rate at which testosterone is converted to DHT, the main cause of hair loss in men.
It helps to improve symptoms such as:
- Male pattern baldness
- Sexual dysfunction
- Benign prostatic hypertrophy
- Having a weak urine stream
- Constantly feeling the need to urinate
- Waking up in the middle of the night to urinate
Beta-sitosterol
This is a substance found in several plants. Although it won’t have any action on reducing the size of the prostate, this will help you have a stronger stream of urine and empty your bladder quickly.
Pumpkin seeds
With anti-inflammatory property, pumpkin seed is known to help reduce symptoms of prostate issues and helps shrink the size of the prostate.
Herbs etc.
Stinging nettle is a specific type of herb that helps reducing several prostate symptoms, especially waking up in the middle of the night to urinate.
Some other similar herbs include
- Red clover
- Flax seeds
- Garlic
- Milk thistle
- Dried cranberry
- Selenium
- Quercetin
Vitamin D
Several studies have shown that in addition to providing healthy bones, this vitamin has an essential role in reducing the risk of prostate. Conversely, several studies have indicated that people with low Vitamin D are at an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Zinc
This mineral has a vital role in DNA repair and cellular growth. Research has shown that people with adequate amounts of zinc in their bodies are at a reduced risk of prostate problems.
How to choose the right prostate supplements for yourself in Malaysia?
Supplements help make your body’s natural functions stronger but it isn’t a replacement for good sleep, an active lifestyle, and a healthy diet.
Browse through our supplement options like prostate supplements or talk on prostate health with our medical professionals to discuss your condition.
Bottom Line
While certain ingredients help resolve symptoms related to the urinary tract, further research is needed to understand the effectiveness of these products.
While purchasing the product, make sure that you do it from a reputable company.
In addition, to ensure the quality of these products, make sure that you buy certified products only.
Lastly, you need to understand that supplements alone cannot treat prostate issues—the right combination of medicine along with a healthy lifestyle to solve the problem.
The article is a part of our comprehensive series on “Prostate Gland”
