Zinc is at the top of the list of natural treatments for prostate cancer, prostatitis and BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Here's why it's vital that you receive plenty of this crucial mineral everyday to prevent and treat these prostate problems...
Article by Troy Sawyer (Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Health & Wellness Coach, Sports Nutritionist)
Updated November 26, 2024 -- This post contains affiliate links
If you had to name the most important and crucial nutrient for prostate health, it would definitely have to be zinc.
The reason for this is simple...
The prostate gland contains more zinc than any other nutrient. In fact, it’s as important to the health of the prostate gland as pollen is for bees!
The problem is as men age, less zinc gets stored in their prostate gland. And because our food and produce no longer contain enough of the nutrients we need (especially minerals such as zinc), if men don’t bother to supplement with extra zinc, the consequences can be disastrous!
Numerous studies have now confirmed that zinc not only prevents prostate cancer from occurring, it also destroys rogue prostate cancer cells. This is thought to occur due to zinc’s powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Here's another explanation from cancer researcher, Chris Woollams, at CANCERactive...
"A healthy prostate has between 3 and 10 times more zinc than any other tissue, but a malignant prostate has very low levels. Fenn, Franklin and Costello of the Greenbaum Cancer Centre reported that high levels of zinc act as a brake on runaway prostate cell growth by increasing malignant cell death. Malignant cells’ mitochondria lose the ability to utilise zinc, and then multiply uncontrollably. Zinc supplements triggered an enzyme called cytochrome C, which caused apoptosis". 1
If we go back to the remarkable Swedish study on omega-3’s and prostate cancer (see this article), researchers also discovered that the men with the highest amount of zinc intake (15.7 mg or more a day) reduced their risk of death from the disease by a whopping 74% compared to the males with low zinc levels (12.8 mg a day or less). Remember, these men already had prostate cancer so this really was an extraordinary result!
Further independent studies have also been able to validate that long-term zinc supplementation can substantially reduce the risk of men developing advanced forms of prostate cancer. One such study (albeit a very in-depth and highly "scientific" study) is listed here... Zinc for Prostate Cancer.
As a prostatitis treatment, zinc also weaves its powerful magic!
Prostatitis is an infection and swelling of the prostate gland, which in turn, causes problems such as painful urination, frequent urination, difficulty urinating and painful ejaculation.
According to research, patients with prostatitis have zinc levels only one-tenth that of healthy males (Fair and Heston, 1977; Pfeiffer, 1978).
After studying over 5000 patients, Dr. Irving Bush of Chicago Medical School and researchers from Cook County Hospital were also able to confirm that zinc supplementation can prevent and treat prostate enlargement (BPH) and inflammation (prostatitis).
Andrew Saul from DoctorYourself has this to say about zinc for prostate health...
"One time-tested prostate remedy is eating pumpkin seeds. It is no surprise that pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc, as are shellfish (especially oysters) and nutritional yeast. A daily zinc supplement totalling 50 to 100 milligrams is frequently recommended in the natural healing literature, and that amount cannot be faulted by medical literature. Since men lose zinc in every seminal emission, their need for this mineral is higher than a woman's".2
...So guys, this is one nutrient you definitely want to make sure you’re getting enough of. Liquid colloidal zinc or chelated zinc supplements are the best. Of course, be sure to consume plenty of pumpkin seeds and oysters (if you like them), along with supplementing with nutritional brewers yeast as these all contain high amounts of zinc.
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Nov 26, 24 10:00 AM
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