Toronto BBFS

As men get older their chance of having benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) increases. It squeezes the urethra, making it difficult to empty their bladder. A continuously full bladder makes their belly bulge. BPH is also associated with an increased risk for erectile dysfunction. Many of the treatments for an enlarged prostate can contribute to erectile dysfunction, including herbs like saw palmetto used to reduce the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). A more natural approach is to improve liver function through diet and exercise, and take supplements like B and C vitamins that help the liver detoxify excess hormones.

While many people focus on the male hormone DHT, they overlook another factor, which is the buildup of the female hormone estrogen. My first experience with BPH and estrogen was when I took ginseng supplements. It quickly made my prostate swell so bad, my urine stream was reduced to a trickle. I did a web search and found that ginseng raises estrogen levels in the body. After I quit taking ginseng my prostate swelling abated. I believe that foods that increase body levels of estrogen are a major factor in BPH.

Quoting from the lifeextension website:

"Sex hormones exert significant influence over BPH development and progression. While many men are aware of a pro-growth role of a testosterone metabolite called DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in prostatic hyperplasia, few know that estrogen may also contribute to BPH (Ho 2008; Matsuda 2004). Aging in men is associated with an increase in the activity of an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen (Vermeulen 2002). Some research suggests increased estrogen levels in prostate tissue may promote hyperplasia."

"As men age, estrogen (eg, estrone and estradiol) levels appear to increase. Aromatase, an enzyme which converts testosterone into estrogen, also increases with age in men (Vermeulen 2002). BPH risk also increases with age and studies have identified high concentrations of estradiol in cells from hyperplastic prostates (Jasuja 2012; Barnard 2009; Kozak 1982)."

Pomegranate juice has been reported to help with BPH symptoms and ED.

Quoting from livestrong website:

"Pomegranate juice contains many natural compounds, such as polyphenols, anthocyanins and ellagic acid, that have biological activity and give the juice its medicinal value. Pomegranate juice inhibits an enzyme that produces estrogen, which is a possible cause of BPH in older men, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. in a clinical study of pomegranate juice published in "Clinical Cancer Research" in 2006, men who had surgery or radiation for prostate cancer and drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily had a reduction in their rate of PSA production and other indications of slower regrowth of their cancer."

Quoting from livestrong website:

"phytoestrogens can be found in some dietary foods, such as nuts. Consuming these foods may help increase the estrogen in your body. Almonds are a good source of phytoestrogens. Peanuts are also a good source of phytoestrogens. Pistachios are the richest source of phytoestrogens among nuts".

Quoting from pinepollensuperfoods website:

"Unfermented Soy (the kind most often used in processed food) is full of phytoestrogens. These phytoestrogens and other isoflavones mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. Both of which can lead to a direct increase in estrogen in the body and disrupt the endocrine system's natural balance. In addition to being a food high in estrogen, Licorice can also negatively affect the complex interactions between cortisol, pregnenolone, and DHEA, which can result in lower testosterone production. Sorry fellas, but beer and hops are absolute testosterone killers. Hops is used in the fermentation of beer and is a food high in estrogen; especially estradiol. Hence why beer may be responsible for so many beer bellies and man-boobs".

Quoting from belmarrahealth website:

"There are several estrogen-rich foods that may help boost your estrogen level. Soy is a rich source of phytoestrogen and comes in a variety of easy to consume forms like soy milk, tofu, or edamame. Flaxseeds contain up to three times the phytoestrogens of soybeans. Sesame seeds or sesame oil contain lignans that possess phytoestrogens. Beans are relativity high in phytoestrogens. Wheat bran is a reliable way get your dose of phytoestrogens. Several types of nuts, including pistachios, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts, are great sources of phytoestrogens. Chickpeas: A reliable source of phytoestrogens. Olives and olive oil affect for your hormone levels. Green beans: high in phytoestrogen, green beans are a great food to eat if you're a woman. Red wine helps the body to produce more estrogen".

Quoting from sciencedaily website:

"Eating too much fructose and glucose can turn off the gene that regulates the levels of active testosterone and estrogen in the body".

Fruit is high in fructose and many products are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

There is some evidence that benign prostate swelling can also be caused by too much calcium and not enough magnesium in the body.

Quoting from bphnews website:

"An herbal extract normalized the higher ratio of calcium to magnesium seen in men with enlarged prostate, improving their symptoms, a study shows. The extract also lowered levels of the patients' prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a biomarker for enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer".

Quoting from prostate net website:

"if your body has too much calcium and not enough magnesium, you can experience muscle spasms. This same imbalance can also result in heart attack and sudden death. Calcium supplements also have been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer when not properly balanced with magnesium".

Quoting from mgwater website:

"four out of five of them had been disturbed by difficulties in urinating, especially at night. And all of them, after taking the magnesium tablets, found that their nocturnal urinating troubles diminished or disappeared".

Quoting from ezinearticles website:

"The author can certainly swear to the beneficial effect of magnesium, I have had no recurrence of any prostate problems, I am now 65 years old and when I urinate there is no hesitancy and definitely no retention whatsoever, as far as I am concerned, magnesium really works, also, sex is no problem".

Vitamin K2 deficiency leads to a buildup of calcium in the soft tissues and arteries, leading to reduced blood circulation, erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Common sources of vitamin K2 are egg yolks, butter, liver and specialty cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Brie). The cholesterol theory of heart disease has been debunked. There are two good books on the topic, "Death by Calcium" and "Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox". A web search on the titles will also show some videos that can be viewed online for free.

Quoting from universityhealthnews website:

"Normally in men, testosterone and estrogen are maintained in the correct balance. When estrogen levels in men increase, testosterone levels tend to decrease, so that symptoms of high estrogen tend to occur along with symptoms of low testosterone. Signs of high estrogen symptoms in men can therefore be difficult to differentiate from low testosterone symptoms.

So what does estrogen do in males? The most common symptoms of high estrogen in men include these eight:

Sexual dysfunction (low libido, decreased morning erections, decreased erectile function)
Enlarged breasts
Lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
Increased abdominal fat
Feeling tired
Loss of muscle mass
Emotional disturbances, especially depression
Type 2 diabetes

Men who are treated with injectable forms of synthetic testosterone almost always make too much estrogen. In my own clinical practice, I saw firsthand that bioidentical (natural) testosterone therapy can also lead to high estrogen levels in men, especially when used in excess or used in men with obesity.

Fortunately, a number of diet, lifestyle, and natural therapies have been found to keep estrogen levels balanced.

Eat cruciferous vegetables multiple times per week. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and turnip greens, contain high amounts of glucosinolates, which the body transforms into bioactive compounds that help to decrease estrogen activity and increase estrogen detoxification.

Supplement with indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM). You can supplement your cruciferous vegetable intake with their most beneficial compounds, I3C (200 mg per day) and DIM (100 mg per day), in supplement form.

Get enough vitamin B12, folate, betaine, and choline. These nutrients, known as methyl donors, help to improve the biochemical process known as methylation, which is an important function in estrogen metabolism and detoxification. Good dietary sources include meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, spinach, beets, and quinoa.

Increasing fiber, exercising, and reducing weight are also important natural treatments for reducing high estrogen symptoms in men."

Quoting from the ncbi website:

"Prostatic calcification is common in men older than 50 years and incidence increases with age. According to a recent series, it is detected in as high as 88% of operative specimens. Prostatic calcification is usually associated with prostatic inflammation, and there are a cause and effect relationship between them. Apart from prostatitis, prostatic calcification has been reported in association with prostatic hypertrophy"

Calcification of the soft tissues (prostate) can be caused by deficiency of vitamin K2 and magnesium.

Quoting from eu-acme website:

"Laboratory and clinical studies have demonstrated that prostatic inflammation is a central and relevant mechanism in prostate enlargement and BPH development"

Inflammation can be caused by omega-6 oils, common in nuts, seeds and cooking oil.

There is some evidence for fungal infection as a cause of BPH.

Quoting from the ncbi website:

"The role of fungal infection as a causative factor for prostatitis is currently underestimated. The (study) inclusion criteria included failure of response to antibiotics and alpha–blockers. Improvement was observed in 80% of cases treated with the antifungal regimen."

"fungus can cause changes in the prostate that mimic bacterial infection, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or neoplasm (cancer)"

Quoting from childrenshospital website:

"In the 1960s Carl Schaffner was tasked with isolating the impurities in a topical treatment for vaginal yeast infections, and found that when he gave the same compound orally, it shrunk the normal prostates of laboratory rats and the enlarged prostates of old dogs. The active ingredient, the antifungal candicidin, had been discovered years earlier by a Rutgers colleague."

Nuts, seeds and cooking oil are high in estrogen and some of them are also high in inflammatory omega 6 oil. This gives a double whammy to the prostate.

The inflammatory omega 6 oils are shown as blue in the following graph. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory, shown as orange. Those two should be in balance in the overall diet. Omega 9 oil and saturated fats are not inflammatory.



The following are all possible causes of prostate swelling:

Bacterial infection
Fungal infection
Androgen (DHT)
Estrogen (estradiol) from increased aromatase activity
Estrogen from dietary sources
Estrogen from environmental sources (plastic containers, cosmetics, etc.)
Calcification
Inflammation

Some of these factors may be interrelated.

Vitamin K2 might help reduce prostate swelling in two ways. The most obvious is that is will reduce calcification. There is also evidence that it can reduce estrogen levels.

Quoting from ncbi website:

"Subsequent experiments showed that vitamin K2 binds 17beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 4 and decreases the intracellular estradiol:estrone ratio, which resulted in the inhibition of the amount of estrogen receptor alpha-binding to its target DNA. These results suggest a possible novel role for vitamin K in modulating estrogen function."

Pomegranate juice contains ellagic acid which reduces aromatase activity of converting testoserone into estrogen. There is evidence that the seeds reduce estrogen in a different way.

Quoting from fitlife website:

"Pomegranate seeds offer the greatest variety of phytoestrogens among all plants. It is also the highest plant source of estrone and its main estrogen compound is 17-alpha-estradiol. 17-alpha-estradiol is “bio-identical” and it’s the mildest form of all steroidal estrogens.

Even if you have estrogen dominance, you don’t have to be afraid to take pomegranate seed oil, because its main estrogen compound is 100 times weaker than estrogen."

Dr. Ephraim Lanksy, one of the experts on this topic, says: “Estrogen is defined as anything that binds to estrogen receptors. The forms that can bind but not stimulate a strong estrogenic effect are considered anti-estrogenic and prevent stronger (estrogens) from having an effect. This is important for modulating diseases that are provoked by too much estrogen.”

The type of estrogen most commonly found in the body is 17-beta-estradiol. By binding to estrogen receptors, the estradiol in pomegranate seeds and oil prevents the stronger estrogen from being activated.

Product review of 21st Century, Pomegranate, 500 mg Capsules

Pomegranate seed 400 mg
Pomegranate fruit extract 100 mg

One customer said "Been using this few years now. I'm male over 60. No need to use bathroom during the night after i started using this product."

Quoting from mygenefood website:

"study which appeared in the Central European Journal of Urology found that most young men presenting with prostatitis, who also had low prostate specific antigen (PSA) numbers (higher PSA means greater likelihood of prostate cancer), were suffering from a yeast infection, not bacterial prostatitis. so if you have low PSA numbers, you may be looking at an anti-fungal regimen rather than a course of antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which is the solution offered by most urologists, will only serve to further destroy the microbial balance in the gut and urinary tract, making it that much easier for the yeast to spread."

Quoting from newsmax website:

"The American Prostatitis Associations calls probiotics a natural and alternative solution to chronic prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate. Probiotics have proven helpful in treating bacteria prostatitis, according to the APA. This is especially true if the disease is induced by taking antibiotics, which destroy all types of microflora in the body — both bad and good. Taking probiotics helps to return the balance of the bacteria in the gut and crowd out the bad ones."

Quoting from mygenefood website:

"Almost all of us carry Candida yeast on our skin, in our gastrointestinal tract, and in our mucous membranes, including in the vagina, mouth, and nasal passages. Even when we’re healthy, Candida is the major fungus in our mouths. Lucky for us, normal immune system function and the other microorganisms making up our microbiomes help to keep Candida in check. Almost 50% of females of reproductive age experience vulvovaginal candidiasis, typically caused by C. albicans, and Candida can also affect the penis, resulting in inflammation, itching, and urinary and sexual discomfort. There is even strong evidence linking Candida to prostate inflammation."

Quoting from prostate.net website:

"Probiotics may have a role in preventing and managing common prostate conditions; namely, prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia. They even may have a part in the treatment of prostate cancer. The main reason this is true is because these beneficial bacteria are immensely important in immune system function and in controlling inflammation, a key factor in BPH, prostatitis, and prostate cancer."

Quoting from mygenefood website:

"Unfortunately, as with antibiotic resistance, antifungal resistance is an increasing problem. This means that many researchers are now focusing their attention on alternative ways to treat and prevent Candida, including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and even biogenics (antifungal substances made by probiotics). In one study, of 30 lactobacillus strains tested against three strains of C. albicans, L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus and L. fermentum showed the greatest antifungal activity. the major strains and species of probiotics shown to affect Candida include:"

Lactobacillus rhamnosus
L. acidophilus
L. lactis
L. helveticus
L. casei
L. paracasei
L. plantarum
L. reuteri
L. fermentum
Bifidobacterium breve
B. bifidum
B. animalis subs. lactis

Quoting from cfsremission website:

"Prophylactic L. reuteri supplementation is as effective as nystatin. Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri exhibit strong antifungal effects. The clear winner is: Lactobacillus Fermentum. All Lactobacillus fermentum strains tested have the ability to significantly inhibit the growth of the five species of Candida of at least 4 logarithms (10000x)."

Product review: RenewLife Ultimate Flora VS for women 50 Billion CFU

"If you are prone to yeast infections and candida, it is important to manage your microbial populations. According to Florida-based gastroenterologist Dr. Leonard Smith, “Allopathic medicine does a great job with anti-fungals on the seriously ill. However, when patients have low-grade recurrent Candida infections, they are treated with anti-fungal agents, but are offered nothing else to prevent recurrence.” While these anti-fungal drugs can effectively kill the Candida organism, unless you alter the conditions that resulted in the overgrowth, the yeast will usually return. In addition, when taking anti-fungal drugs, the body may eliminate them before they reach the colon; this allows Candida to survive in the lower part of your digestive tract."

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