The Importance Of A Healthy Prostate

What Is The Prostate?

Every man has one, yet few men know much about it or what can go wrong with it. The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped gland that is part of the male reproductive system. It is important for making some of the fluid in semen, which is what carries sperm from your testicles during ejaculation. The prostate is located below your bladder, and it wraps around part of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body.

As we age, the prostate continues to grow naturally or may grow in size as the result of hormonal changes. For most men, this is a normal part of aging and it is more likely to occur in men over the age of 40. Around 60% of men develop an enlarged prostate in their 60s and this rises to 80 to 90% of men in their 70s and 80s. As the prostate encircles part of the urethra, the enlarged sized can result in urinary problems. This is usually the first indicator that your prostate is enlarged. Symptoms include:

• Difficulty urinating
• Bladder does not empty completely
• Have a sudden, often urge to urinate
• Urinary flow may stop and start
• Waking up frequently at night to urinate
• Sexual dysfunction or reduced performance

What Is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)?

BPH, or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, is the clinical term for an enlarged prostate. However, it is not cancerous. It is a very common condition with 8 out of 10 men developing it. Your age and a family history of BPH increases your chances of getting it. It is very important to visit your doctor if you think you may have an enlarged prostate because, if left untreated, it may lead to kidney or bladder damage, though this is rare. BPH may also lead to urinary tract infections due to not emptying the bladder properly, urinary incontinence, and bladder stones. Some men with BPH experience very little symptoms while some men experience worse symptoms than others.

It is not really clear why men develop BPH, but it is thought to be due to hormonal changes. Men produce the male hormone testosterone and small amounts of the female hormone estrogen. As men get older, testosterone levels in the blood decrease leaving high amounts of estrogen. The higher proportion of estrogen in the prostate may lead to BPH. High levels of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) may also result in an enlarged prostate as this hormone is responsible for prostate development and growth. Whatever the cause may be, symptoms of an enlarged prostate are uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Keeping Your Prostate Healthy

The prostate is a crucial gland for men, which makes keeping it healthy so important. Because of its location, when things go wrong, it can negatively affect a man’s daily functioning and comfort. Prostate problems can lead to urinary and sexual problems, as well as causing significant pain. Despite prostate problems and BPH being common, it is not something guaranteed to affect you. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your prostate healthy to reduce the risk of problems from occurring:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Include more soy in your diet
• Eat more selenium-rich foods
• Don't smoke
• Don't drink excessive amounts of alcohol

Taking a supplement designed for prostate health is a great way to nourish your prostate with essential nutrients. Essential ingredients such as Saw Palmetto, Beta-Sitosterol and Selenium are proven to benefit prostate health.

Saw Palmetto: This ingredient is derived from the berries of a small palm tree called the Saw Palmetto and it is believed to have many positive effects on the prostate gland. Testosterone is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which may lead to an excess of DHT and cause many problems, such as an enlarged prostate. Studies have shown Saw Palmetto to have the ability to interfere with the activity of 5-alpha-reductase, thus stopping the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Saw Palmetto is also thought to block the production of estrogen.

Beta-Sitosterol: This is a substance found in plants. It is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This substance is commonly found in what is known as the Mediterranean diet, where the incidence of prostate problems is much lower than in the United States. Studies have shown Beta-Sitosterol to improve urinary flow and urinary retention. It is also used for enhancing sexual activity.

Selenium: This is an essential mineral that plays an important role in certain enzymatic reactions in the body. Selenium helps the body produce antioxidant enzymes which help reduce damage from free radicals. However, as we age, it is more difficult to absorb Selenium and this deficiency is what leads to prostate problems. It is believed that the antioxidant properties of Selenium provide benefits for prostate health. The antioxidant effects of Selenium are increased when combined with Vitamin E, which is another antioxidant.

Finding High-Quality Prostate Supplements

Choosing the right supplement for optimum prostate health is an important decision. It is important to do your research on the product and the ingredients it contains to ensure you choose the right one that is going to get you the results you are looking for. An effective supplement should contain key ingredients that have been proven effective in clinical studies to help maintain and improve prostate health. It is important to choose a maximum strength, natural formula that is safe to take without containing any unnecessary ingredients, additives or preservatives.

So, how can you identify the legitimate products through all the smoke? There are a few key factors to look for that can all but guarantee the product is genuine.

1. Third-Party Monitoring: Independent monitoring companies track each company’s reputation and customer satisfaction. One of the most important qualities for a supplement manufacturer is their reputation. Look for a company with a solid reputation backed by third-party monitoring.

2. Risk-Free Money Back Guarantee: Go with a company that guarantees their product and offers your money back if you aren’t satisfied. If the company is not willing to put their money where their mouth is, that means they don’t believe in their own product.

3. Third-Party Testing: Different than third-party monitoring, third-party testing verifies the quality of each company’s products. Third-party testing is really expensive for manufacturers since it can actually disqualify entire shipments of pills. But when companies don’t have independent quality control, there is no guarantee that their products are what they claim to be.

Prostate Supplement Brands Research

Your time and money is valuable and we don’t want you to waste either one. So we did the research on most of the top prostate products available.

We studied each product to determine which consistently had not only the right ingredients, but also the right proportions. We disqualified the ones with unnecessary, synthetic fillers and those whose contents differed drastically from pill to pill.

But we didn’t stop there. After all, numbers and percentages are only part of the story. We went on to seek out real customers who had used the products we tested. We asked them for testimonials and compared them with our notes, and then compiled this information to give you a list of the best products on the market.

What Our Research Uncovered

A good prostate supplement should provide a multiple level approach to supporting and managing prostate health by addressing prostate, bladder/urinary and sexual health issues. It should contain clinically-proven ingredients which include Beta Sitosterol, Saw Palmetto, Nettle, Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin B6, D3, E and the amino acids L-Alanine, L-Glutamic Acid and L-Glycine.

Most brands did not pass the above criteria.

Some of the companies included the right ingredients, but had too low a dosage, which is the key to optimizing prostate health. They use much less than what is used in clinical studies. Other companies filled their supplements with additives, preservatives and other synthetic ingredients. Almost all of them avoided quality control testing.

The brands we did pick, we stand by. We are confident that these products can help you achieve your goals.

Our Prostate Supplement Top Pick:

We are excited about our final pick and we think you’ll agree. This company has a solid reputation, a high-quality product, third-party monitoring and testing. It also has a solid return policy and stands by its products.