Fasting To Shrink Enlarged Prostate

Fast is extremely advantageous when done properly. Besides encouraging weight loss, fasting decreases inflammation and tumor growth, supports stem cell production, promotes autophagy, enables neurons to revive, and so significantly more.

Every organ in the body benefits from fasting, and the prostate is one of them. It is a small walnut-shaped gland that encircles the urethra, the tube through which urine exits the body.

Despite advancing age, one out of two male individuals experiences enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Can fasting shrink your prostate? Can it reverse enlarged prostate? Read on to find out more.

How To Identify An Enlarged Prostate

As the prostate grows, it makes urination difficult. The bigger it gets the more problems it causes. An enlarged prostate can make a constriction of the urethra and pressure within the bladder.

This leads to a host of lower urinary tract signs and symptoms, including:

• A slow urinary stream
• Difficulty in starting urination
• A feeling of incomplete bladder emptying even after peeing
• Frequent urination
• Urgency to urinate
• Straining while urinating
• Urinary leakage

Can an Enlarged Prostate Be Identified at Home?

The aberration in your urinary pattern can certainly alert you to a potentially enlarged prostate. However, to diagnose BPH, you should go for any of the following:

• Digital rectal exam
• Urine test
• Blood test
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test

Depending on the reports, your doc will advise more tests like urinary flow test and transrectal ultrasound. For the prostate blood tests, fasting is not needed, nor is there a restriction on foods or beverages.

The Effects of Fasting on an Enlarged Prostate

When we speak about enlarged prostate, it’s the game of hormones. Hormones that are major players in the cell multiplication of your prostate glands are in charge of the action of these cells that are enlarged.

• Prolactin
• Estrogen
• DHT/Androgens
• Cortisol
• Growth hormone
• IGF-1
• Progesterone
• Insulin

Insulin, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), diabetes, and obesity are all risk factors for the development of BPH. If you keep these under control, you can help control the growth or even shrink it in some cases and reverse the whole process. Fasting is a diet choice that does it all.

According to a recent study, a span of eight days without water led to beneficial changes in the functioning of the urogenital system and led to the shrinkage of the prostate.

Many studies have shown a positive effect of fasting on prostate cancer, too. In the presence of sugar consumption, risk of prostate cancer increased.

Therefore, a no-carb no-sugar diet, low-carb diet, keto diet, and fasting are recommended. Restricting your intake of carbohydrates has a potentially beneficial effect on your BPH.

As hyperinsulinemia is the driving force in BPH, keeping it under control via fasting is one of the ideal options.

Foods that Help Shrink the Prostate

Can you shrink your prostate with diet? If so, what foods help shrink the prostate?

Foods that help reduce the size of the prostate are:

Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto has been shown to prevent tumor cells from growing, help ease inflammation, and help shrink the enlarged gland.

Stinging Nettle Root

It helps reduce obstruction to the urinary flow and decrease the frequency of urination (5).

Green Tea

Green tea contains potent antioxidants that can not only help prevent prostate cancer from forming but also slow its growth. It also benefits men with prostatitis (6).

Maca roots and cruciferous vegetables

These are powerful aromatase inhibitors. The latter is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen in the body, which can help reduce the estrogen levels in your blood. High estrogen is the biggest cause of BPH.

Vitamin C-Rich Foods

Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C can prevent the risk of an enlarged prostate.

Zinc-Rich Foods

Sesame seeds have a high concentration of zinc that can help shrink prostate size. Other foods are almonds, adzuki beans, and pumpkin seeds with high zinc concentrations.

Lycopene

Studies have stated that lycopene, a plant pigment, is supportive in preventing and controlling BPH and prostate cancer.

It can also lower prostate inflammation. Examples include tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, pink grapefruit, and apricots.

Foods to Avoid

The foods you must avoid with an enlarged prostate are:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Processed meats such as sausage and salami
• Dairy
• Soy foods
• Red meat
• Chocolates

Sugar is another ingredient that you should avoid as it can cause high insulin that can result in BPH. Sugar and prostatitis also have a direct connection as sugar worsens inflammation.

Are There Side Effects of Fasting With an Enlarged Prostate?

There is no evidence of any specific side effect of fasting on the prostate. However, fasting, in general, may cause muscle loss, dehydration, fluctuation in blood pressure and blood sugar, and a variety of health conditions if not done properly.

In Conclusion, fasting for an enlarged prostate is a great way to naturally shrink the size of the gland. It is important to consult with a physician before starting any fasting regimen, and to make sure that it is done safely.

Fasting can have many benefits for men’s health, so it is worth considering as part of a healthy lifestyle.