As you age it is extremely important that you proactively seek ways to maintain your prostate health. Some of the tips you’ll read in this article can aid for Better Prostate Health and overall health. As you age you are more prone to prostate diseases such as Benign prostatic hypertrophy/hyperplasia also known as (BPH). BPH is one of the most common diseases faced by adult men.
Some of the most common symptoms of BPH are:
- Blood in your urine
- Dribbling when peeing
- Urine leakage
- Urinating more than two or more times every night
- Sudden urges to urinate
- Pain while peeing
- Unable to empty your bladder
By the time men reach 80 about 80% of them will suffer from BPH. One in two men will experience prostatitis in their lifetime. If you are overweight, have a metabolic syndrome-related disorder like diabetes type 2, high-fasting triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, or hypertension you are more prone to prostate disease.
Below are some great tips to help improve and support your prostate health:
Table of Contents
Healthy Eating Habits
Ensure you are incorporating healthy foods in your diet such as; nuts like Brazil Nuts, fiber, soy products, colorful fruits and vegetables, fish high in fatty acids, avocado, and green tea. Perhaps as important as what to eat is what not to eat; avoid sugar, caffeine, processed foods, red meat, animal fat, food dye, and dairy products with the exception of sometimes consuming yogurt.
Exercise
Ensuring you are exercising on a regular basis as well as doing interval training with high levels of physical activity can decrease your risk of BPH. Daily exercise will actually support your overall health. Think of it this way – exercise that is good for your heart is also good for your prostate and sexual health. You can follow the American Heart Association recommendation for 30 minutes of an aerobic exercise, like swimming, walking, or biking, on most days of the week. Possibly add in some strength training exercises with exercise machines or weightlifting. Alternate and do this about three times per week. A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that men under age 40 who exercised regularly were less likely to experience sexual dysfunction than men under 40 who did not exercise.
Kegel exercises are especially good for prostate health. It is also especially helpful for men who have BPH symptoms. When doing Kegels you need to squeeze the muscles you would use to hold your urine. Hold the squeeze for a few seconds and then release. Three sets of 10 Kegel exercises every day will help improve your bladder control. Kegel exercises have also helped men with ED.
Endurance exercise will prove to be antioxidant exercise, some endurance exercises like walking, biking, or swimming will help. You should do these exercises vigorously enough to burn calories and build stamina.
Avoid Diabetes
You may think this is so hard to accomplish, it is actually quite simple. Do not consume sugar or processed foods. If you can’t stop consuming sugar at least only consume it once or twice a month. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of men having a PSA greater than 1.6 ng/mL, high post-void residual and decreased urinary max flow rate.
Maintain Ideal Body Weight
Maintaining an ideal body weight may just be the most important thing you can actively do to support your prostate health and overall health. By eating a mediterranean diet as well as daily exercise and other positive living habits you can maintain a healthy body weight. As your belly fat increases, so does the enzyme “aromatase” this converts to testosterone is adipose tissue into estrogen. If your BMI (Body Mass Index, is 35 or higher you are 3.5 times more at risk of BPH in comparison to other men
Dietary Supplements
The right dietary supplements can help aid in supporting your prostate health. In an independent review, Consumer Lab recently rated the prostate supplement ProstaGenix as not only having the highest level of beta-sitosterols, but also having the lowest price per milligram.
Avoid Xenobiotics
Xenobiotics are compounds from the environment that mimic the body’s hormones. Bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastics has been found consistently to cause prostatic hyperplasia in animal models. Avoid using plastic containers all together. If you do use plastic containers, avoid microwaving food in the plastic containers. Avoid plastic containers with the numbers 3, 6, or 7 engraved in the triangle on the product. Buy BPA-free water containers or use stainless steel. Drinking water out of containers with the numbers 2, 4, 5, or 7. It is also important to avoid Styrofoam containers or cups all together.
Most men never have to think about their prostate, because you don’t have to unless it’s causing problems. Keeping in mind these simple tips will help keep your prostate healthy for a long time, so you may never get to the point where it forces you to think about it.
