Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Dos and Don'ts: Prevention

Avoid caffeine because it affects the bladder functioning and stimulates BPH symptoms because it increases the urgency to urinate, as well as the frequency.

Saturated fats and trans-fats work indirectly to enhance cell proliferation and angiogenesis.

This results in changes in the protein behavior which may affect prostate, causing prostate enlargement or even cancer. 

Avoid drinking liquids at night, at least 2 hours before you go to sleep.

This would lessen the chances of getting up to urinate during the night.

Avoid holding urine for too long because it can weaken the bladder muscles over time.

This might lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty the bladder.

There is a link between being overweight and having a high risk of prostate enlargement (BPH).

Excess weight, especially around the waist and hips can be associated with a greater risk of BPH. 

Avoid spices and spicy foods because it might irritate the bladder and increase the urge to urinate.

Avoid artificial sweeteners because they irritate the bladder and may triggers some benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms, causing the urge to urinate.

Eliminate alcohol, especially before bed time to avoid the urge to urinate at night.

Alcohol causes the bladder neck to constrict, making urination more difficult and the bladder less efficient. It also irritates the bladder and hinder the ability of the prostate muscle to relax.

This makes things more complicated for people with enlarged prostate.

Consuming dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter, cream, cheese, etc... makes it more difficult for men to urinate.

This is because prostate is like a sponge for hormones. And since dairy milk comes from pregnant cows, it is full of growth hormone which causes prostate swelling.

However, if you don’t have any prostate problem, an occasional serving of grass-fed dairy should be fine.

Processed sugars have inflammatory effects on the body tissue in general, which contributes to prostate inflammation and enlargement over time.

Research has found that obese men and those with high blood sugar levels are 3 times at higher risk of developing enlarged prostate.

Plus, besides the inflammatory effect of sugar, high blood sugar levels lead to more insulin release, hence increasing the insulin-like peptide concentration in the blood. This promotes cellular proliferation and contributes to tumor growth.

Research suggests that daily meat consumption may triple the risk of developing an enlarged prostate (BPH).

This may be due to heterocyclic amines (HCAs) found in cooked meat that are believed to be carcinogens.