For many men, problems with the prostate—a gland that adds an important fluid to semen—are part of getting older. The older you get, the more likely these issues become. That doesn’t mean they’re inevitable or will pose a major risk to your health if they occur. Still, it’s important to do what you can to protect your prostate. There are plenty of steps you can take.
Your Growing Prostate
Part of understanding the importance of a healthy prostate is knowing how the gland changes with age. When you’re young, your prostate is the size of a walnut. As the decades pass, however, the gland slowly expands, potentially reaching the size of a lemon by the time you’re 60, according to the National Cancer Institute.
A bigger prostate can squeeze on the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder through the center of the prostate. As a result, you may experience urinary problems, such as a slowing stream and/or the need to urinate more frequently.
Several problems can affect the prostate. The most notable, prostate cancer, occurs when cancerous cells develop in the gland. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. However, it usually grows slowly, and in many cases, it doesn’t pose a serious health threat.
Non-cancerous conditions of the prostate include:
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Also known as an enlarged prostate, BPH is when the prostate grows so big that you may have trouble starting urination or struggle to fully empty your bladder. You might also have to visit the restroom a lot more often, especially at night, and may take longer to get the urine out.
- Prostatitis. This condition, which is most often inflammatory in nature, can lead to supra pubic (lower abdominal) pressure, groin discomfort, pressure between the anus and the scrotum, difficulty urinating, a burning sensation while urinating and other symptoms. Prostatitis may last just a few weeks or become a long-term problem.
Eating for a Healthy Prostate
The choices you make every day can support prostate health, including what you eat. A nutritious diet can help reduce your risk for many forms of cancer, including prostate cancer. In addition, sticking with a diet that’s rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, and limited in processed food, red meat, sodium, and saturated and trans fats, can help you maintain a healthy weight. Eliminating excess pounds is another way to lower your prostate cancer risk.
Foods that may help promote a healthy prostate as part of a nutritious diet include:
- Avocados, almonds, walnuts and olive oil, which contain beneficial fats
- Berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, which contain antioxidants that can help protect cells and DNA from damage that may contribute to cancer development
- Broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, which can reduce inflammation that may contribute to prostate cancer
- Lean sources of protein, such as fish, which are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids that may help reduce cancer risk
How Exercise Helps Support a Healthy Prostate
Like a healthy diet, regular exercise has wide-ranging health benefits, including the potential to reduce your risk for prostate cancer and other forms of cancer. In addition, frequent physical activity works with a nutritious diet to help you get to and maintain a healthy weight, which may also contribute to the prevention of prostate cancer.
Exercise may help protect against non-cancerous prostate problems, too. The long-running Health Professionals Follow-Up Study found that men who exercised more had a lower risk of BPH symptoms.
To take advantage of the benefits of exercise, start by finding an activity you enjoy or can do with others, which increases your chances of sticking with it. Start slowly and work up to participating in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as going for a brisk walk over your lunch break on most days of the week. Don’t forget to add strength training at least twice per week for a well-rounded exercise regimen.
Can Supplements and Medications Help You Have a Healthy Prostate?
There is increasing evidence in the medical literature that specific vitamins and supplements may reduce prostate cancer risk, and research into these products continues. Don’t take supplements without first discussing them with your primary care provider.
A group of BPH medications called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may help lower prostate cancer risk, although the level of benefit is unclear, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). These drugs prevent the production of a hormone that drives prostate growth. They may help protect against less aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
Looking for Prostate Cancer Early
For some men, prostate health includes screening for prostate cancer. Screening itself can’t help you have a healthy prostate, but it can potentially lead to finding prostate cancer early when it’s easier to treat.
The most common form of prostate cancer screening is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures the level of PSA, a protein made by the gland, in your blood. A high PSA level may be a sign of prostate cancer, but it doesn’t always mean the disease is present. Another type of screening, the digital rectal exam, allows a medical provider to search for prostate cancer by feeling the prostate for abnormalities with a gloved, lubricated hand.
Your primary care provider or urologist can help you decide whether to have a prostate cancer screening, which, although offering the benefit of early detection, comes with risks. These include the potential for false-positive results and unnecessarily aggressive treatments. If you’re at average risk for prostate cancer, the ACS recommends discussing screening with your primary care provider at age 50. If a family history of prostate cancer or other factors put you at high risk, you should have the screening conversation as early as age 40.
More to Read
- Prostate Cancer: What Men Need to Know
- The Importance of Urology Health
- How to Spot the Signs of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (Enlarged Prostate)
- Men: Take Your Health Back!
Medically reviewed by David A. Levy, MD
