Keep your Prostate lean

For a masculine lifestyle the prostate is one of the most important organs of the male body (women do not have a prostate). The prostate is a walnut-sized and walnut-shaped gland, which sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the canal through which urine is discharged from the bladder, and through which semen passes during ejaculation.

The prostate produces major parts of the seminal fluid, though sperm is not among them. Sperm, obviously, is produced by the testes. While sperm is the raison d'être of seminal fluid, it only constitutes a small percentage of its volume; prostate secretions make for a larger part. The volume of prostate secretions can be influenced by the amount of dietary lecithin consumed. Egg yolk is one of the best nutritional sources of lecithin.

The prostate doesn't only contribute fluid volume to the ejaculate but also plays a part in ejaculation. This becomes obvious when there is something wrong with the prostate.

The prostate can be afflicted primarily by three conditions.
1. Prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate, caused by bacteria.
2. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (also referred to as benign prostatic hypertrophy), BHP, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.
3. Prostate cancer, a cancer, which, if untreated, is often fatal.

By far the most common of the three conditions listed above is benign prostatic hyperplasia. To some degree, it affects all older men, some more, some less, some earlier, some later.

Some degree of prostate enlargement usually starts around the age of 40. Symptoms are: less force of the urinary stream, and terminal dribbling after urination. Another aspect is seldom mentioned: there will also be less ejaculatory force. All three symptoms have the same cause; the enlarged and weakened prostate on the one hand doesn't allow the urethra to open as completely as does a non-enlarged prostate; on the other hand, an enlarged prostate also weakens the force of contractions that press urine or seminal fluid out of the urethra.

The prostate enlargement in BHP is caused by the effects of dihydrotestosterone on prostate tissue. Dihydrotestosterone is formed in the prostate from free testosterone by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.

Practically all medications for an enlarged prostate work by inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase. The synthetic pharmaceutical Proscar does, and so do the herbal medications saw palmetto and pygeum africanum. All three medications have the power to hinder prostate enlargement in the first place, to shrink an enlarged prostate over time, and to avoid that a shrunk prostate will enlarge again. This is evident primarily from the observation that these medications can help men to have an easier time passing urine.

Nutritional factors play a certain role in prostate health. Tomatoes and watermelon are foods that can help protect against prostate cancer because they are rich in the cartenoid lycopene. As mentioned by health guru Dr. Weil when reviewing a scientific study: "Men who ate 10 or more servings of tomato foods weekly were 45 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer."

Foods high in polyunsaturated fats such as fish have been associated with a reduced risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Seafood has a positive effect on the prostate because the usually high content of zinc. Zinc is a trace element especially important for the prostate. Not only is zinc a constituent of prostate secretion; zinc has also been shown to help hinder the conversion of too much testosterone into dihydrotestosterone by 5-alpha-reductase. Additionally, soy-based foods have been recommended to keep dihydrotestosterone in check.

However, it has to be noted that soy foods have considerable phytoestrogenic power, and it has been theorized that, in spite of being healthy for the prostate, they may have a negative effect on male sexuality.

The success in the sale of saw palmetto as replacement for Proscar has partially been attributed to the claim that saw palmetto doesn't interfere with sexual functions in the same way Proscar often does.

There are still many unanswered questions regarding the use of saw palmetto and even more so, regarding the use of pygeum africanum. How about the use of both herbal medications by middle-age men who do not have a prostate enlarged enough to warrant medical interference to ease passing urine; will they have a benefit from taking saw palmetto and pygeum africanum prophylactically?

While we know of no studies concerning the use of saw palmetto and pygeum africanum in healthy middle-age men, anecdotal evidence suggests that they shouldn't turn to saw palmetto and especially not to pygeum africanum if they do not want to see interruptions to their sex lives. My own experimental use over several weeks resulted in no improvements of ejaculatory parameters, while clearly inhibiting sexual excitability. Obviously, the test period was to short to make conclusions regarding the power of saw palmetto and pygeum africanum in preventing or postponing prostate enlargement as men age. (Both bromocriptine and cabergoline are medications that can greatly enhance ejaculatory power, thus indicating a strong neuronal component in ejaculatory parameters.)