Tell A Friend

Excerpts from an article by David Schardt, contributing editor to Nutrition Action Healthletter, appearing in the September 2000 issue.

The problem: A swollen prostate gland, or benign prostatic hyper- trophy (BPH). It plagues one out of every two men over the age of 60. If the enlarged gland presses against the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body, just the simple act of urinating can become difficult.

Surgery can open up the flow, but because the prostate is surrounded by nerves, patients run the risk of incontinence or impotence. Prescription drugs provide some relief for some men, but with the risk of diminished sex drive (Proscar) or dizziness (Hytrin). And there’s no good evidence that changing your diet will help. But saw palmetto might. Since we last looked at prostate supplements (see ‘P’ is for Prostate, June 1996), the evidence for this berry extract has gotten stronger.

Native Americans traditionally used the berries of the saw palmetto plant to treat the symptoms of urinary tract problems. Since 1983, seven good European studies have compared standardized saw palmetto extracts with look-a-like (but pal-metto-less) placebos in men with urinary problems caused by BPH. About 350 men took the extracts for one to three months. In five of the seven studies, saw palmetto was better than the placebo in relieving some symptoms. On average, the saw-palmetto-takers felt less urgency to urinate, got up less often at night to go to the bathroom, or had greater urine flow.

In another large study, European researchers gave either saw palmetto or the prescription drug Proscar to more than 1,000 men for six months. Both proved equally effective in relieving but not eliminating the symptoms of BPH. While Proscar was better at increasing the maximum rate of urine flow and shrinking the prostate, the men taking saw palmetto reported fewer problems with sex drive and performance. Results like these led the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) to conclude in April 2000 that there is moderate evidence of effectiveness for saw palmetto in men with BPH. USP is a quasi-governmental agency that sets manufacturing standards for drugs and advises health professionals on their appropriate use.

Pro-Gain is an all natural cream for men. It is made carefully from the highest quality ingredients. These include:

• Extract from Saw Palmetto Berries
• Siberian Ginseng?
• Uva Ursi
• Bayberry
• Wild Yam