Pumpkin Seed Oil For Prostate Health
Author: Sharan West
Do you have problems with your prostate? Or do you know someone who does? Discover how the problems may be helped or prevented. Whether from benign enlargement or cancer, prostate disorders cause devastation to the majority of aging men. The risk of prostate enlargement increases to 40-50% in men aged 51 to 60 and to over 80% in men older than 80.
As men age, cells in their prostate glands often overgrow, causing an enlargement that obstructs the bladder opening, resulting in slowness in urination and bladder emptying. This nonmalignant growth of the prostate gland causes pressure on the urethra. The result is a weak urinary stream, hesitancy and other uncomfortable urinary symptoms. In recent research from Hungary where trials were conducted with 30 Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH or Prostate Enlargement) patients, administering Pumpkin Seed Oil for two months, there was improvement in night urination in 66% of participants and 86% noted improvement in symptoms of difficulty in urination. Pumpkin seed oil also showed a decrease in the size of the prostate in 33% of patients when compared with a medical treatment (Depostat injections).
For the past few decades, European doctors have routinely prescribed a variety of plant-based drugs to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) one being Beta Sitosterol. Numerous studies have confirmed the effectiveness of beta-sitosterol in reducing the types of prostate discomfort that aging men so frequently encounter.
Beta-sitosterol is believed to inhibit the enzyme involved in the conversion of testosterone (a sex hormone) to dihydrotestosterone which can promote excessive prostate growth. To confirm the remarkable effects of beta-sitosterol, a study was performed and the results were published in the British Journal of Urology. The International Prostate Symptom Scores showed a statistically significant improvement, with average urinary flow increased by 4.5ml/sec and urine retention reduced by 33.5ml. Another study using the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP showed that beta-sitosterol decreased cancer cell growth by 24% and induced cancer cell death fourfold. Beta-Sitosterol is a plant fat found in Pumpkin Seed Oil.
Another reason for pumpkin seed oil’s remarkable benefits is the high content of unadulterated parent Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid) an essential fatty acid. Omega 6 has been identified to ease symptoms of benign enlargement and decrease prostate cancer risk. Omega 6 affects many functions including production of sexual hormones giving the body a chance to correct any imbalances, correlating to the same effects of beta-sitosterol.
Essential fatty acids in the correct ratios (2:1 – 1:1, Omega 6:Omega 3) also produce the bodys natural steroids including anti-inflammatories as well as helping to supply oxygen to cells so they do not turn cancerous.
Whether the information on specific nutrients tested is the cause of the noted health benefits is correct or not, Pumpkin Seed Oil has been shown to contain some of the right nutrients. Several of its traditional benefits are now supported by modern research trials, particularly its effect on enlargement of the prostate. We cannot guarantee pumpkin seed oil will help everyone; however, research suggests its a very good option to try.
References:
Dr Sighi Drassinower, Pumpkin Seed Oil, a remedy for BPH, http://drsighi.com/php/showatricles.php?nid=21&type=, 30-Nov-2008
Klippel KF, Hiltl DM, Schipp B, A multicentric, placebo-controlled, double-blindclinical trial of beta-sitosterol (phytosterol) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. German BPH-Phyto Study group., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9313662?dopt=Abstract , 1997 Sep, PMID: 9313662[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE], Department of Urology, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Celle, Academic Hospital, Germany
Stephen B. Strum MD. FACP. and William Faloon, Beta-Sitosterol and the AgingProstate Gland., www.lef.org/magazine/mag2005/jun2005_report_prostate_02.htm, June 2005, Life Extention Foundation, Retrieved on 28/10/08