The walnut-sized prostate gland lies just beneath the male bladder and encircles the urethra that carries urine out of the body. The gland plays a critical role in the male reproductive system, secreting a key component of the seminal fluid that carries sperm from the penis upon ejaculation. Certain vitamins appear to help protect the prostate against the threat of cancer and other disorders, including infections and benign prostatic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the gland.
Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer
In a July 2009 posting to its Prostate Disorders health alerts website, Johns Hopkins Medicine reported that laboratory studies and population-based research appear to confirm that optimal levels of vitamin D can reduce the risk of prostate cancer and help to control its spread in those who already have it. The report said vitamin D was below desirable levels in a sizable percentage of older men but pointed out that such deficiencies easily could be reversed through diet, supplementation and increased exposure to sunlight.
The Johns Hopkins report says that vitamin D2, derived from milk and dietary supplements, and D3, generated by the skin after exposure to sunlight, are converted by the body into 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D, the vitamin's biologically active form. Minimum daily requirements for vitamin D increase with age, because the skin of older individuals is less efficient in converting sun exposure to D2 and their kidneys have more trouble in creating the vitamin's active form. For these reasons, the Institute of Medicine recommends a daily vitamin D intake of 400 IU for those between the ages of 51 and 70 and 600 IU for those over 70.
Vitamin B6 and Zinc
Felicia Drury Kliment, author of "The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet," writes that vitamin B6 can play a key role in the important process of converting zinc into a form that is more readily absorbable by the cells of the prostate gland. The precise relationship between zinc and prostate health is not fully understood. However, studies strongly indicate that optimal levels of zinc, enhanced by taking vitamin B6, can combat benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, according to botanist James A. Duke, author of "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook." Although noncancerous, BPH is a bothersome health problem with symptoms that can make life unpleasant. Zinc seems to shrink the enlarged prostate, restoring it to normal function. However, the prostate sometimes has difficulty absorbing all the zinc it needs to accomplish this goal, and therefore vitamin B6 is an important addition to the diet.
Vitamin C for Prostatitis
Prostatitis, an infection of the prostate gland, can be either bacterial or nonbacterial in origin. Vitamin C, usually taken in megadoses, seems to be effective in fighting off such infections, regardless of their origin. Vitamin C has potent anti-inflammatory properties, which combat that symptom of prostate infection, as well as antibacterial properties, which can target bacteria that may be causing the infection. High levels of vitamin C increase the acidity of urine, making it difficult for bacteria to grow and spread, according to James Balch and Mark Stengler, authors of "Prescription for Natural Cures." During an acute attack of prostatitis, take 1,000mg of vitamin C four to five times daily, they suggest.
References
- Johns Hopkins Medicine: Health Alerts: Prostate Disorders Special Report: Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer
- "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook"; James A. Duke; 2000
- "The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet"; Felicia Drury Kliment; 2010
- "Prescription for Natural Cures"; James Balch and Mark Stengler; 2004
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