Vitamin D for Enlarged Prostate (BPH) – a study
(Re-sending – apologies for the broken link the first time around)
Vitamin D for enlarged prostate – also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Doggy Bag Message First
- A recent review demonstrates the potential benefit of vitamin D for BPH
- This review is of interest since most prostate related studies are designed to explore the benefit of vitamin D for prostate cancer – not benign conditions.
- 2 human clinical trials; Kristal et al. 2008 and Colli et al. 2006 have demonstrated some degree of benefit for men with BPH
- All men (and women) should consider some form of vitamin D3 (preferable to D2) supplementation and get their blood measured by their physician to assure proper dosage.
- In my clinical practice I start my patients at about 2000IU and work my way up if necessary.
- Men without a prostate should still consider vitamin D supplementation as there is much research on the overall benefit of this nutrient
My take on this
With the help of two physicians and an naturopathic intern, I just published this review paper on the association of vitamin D with BPH (Espinosa et al. 2013).
The interest for this review was sparked by my curiosity of the effect vitamin D may have on non-malignant prostate tissue. There is a plethora of research exploring the relationship of vitamin D with cancer (especially prostate cancer) (Giovannuci et al. 2005) , but not so much with BPH.
By now, it seems logical for most people to consume some amount of vitamin D daily. Although there is no “silver bullet” for good health, vitamin D3 consumption should be a must for most – especially true for African American’s or people with darker pigmentation who typically have low levels and are prone to many diseases. And no, we can’t’ get enough vitamin D from the sun.
Gratitude
Thank you to Drs. Kazzazi and Djavan for their help in the publication of this study. Special thanks to Ralph Esposito, (ND candidate 2016) who was instrumental with the research for this study.
Reference:
Espinosa G, Esposito R, Kazzazi A, Djavan B.Vitamin D and benign prostatic hyperplasia – a review. Can J Urol. 2013 Aug;20(4):6820-5.
Giovannucci E. The epidemiology of vitamin D and cancer incidence and mortality: a review (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2005 Mar;16(2):83-95.