Will Taking Supplements Improve Your Prostate Health?

If you’ve watched a loved one struggle with prostate disease, you may have thought about taking a prostate health supplement to prevent going through it yourself.

But do those products really work? Let’s look at the claims with urologist Brad Gill, MD.

What are prostate health supplements?

Prostate health supplements are over-the-counter products sold to support healthy prostate function as you age. People often take them because they’re touted as a natural way to:

• Address symptoms like frequent urination, weak stream, incomplete emptying and more
• Prevent conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer and prostatitis

Prostate supplements are a big business, but Dr. Gill explains that they aren’t backed by the scientific research — or federal regulations — that prescription drugs are.

“I can give you a prescription medication to shrink your prostate. And I know you’re getting 5 milligrams in every pill,” he explains. “But if you take an over-the-counter supplement, you can’t be sure what's in it, or if it’ll actually work.”

Key ingredients found in prostate supplements

There’s no shortage of supplement suggestions for prostate health if you look it up online. Here are the most common ones that come up — and what you should know about each:

• Saw Palmetto: Saw palmetto is probably the most common ingredient in prostate health supplements. While some say it helps with BPH symptoms, large-scale studies over the past two decades show that saw palmetto has little to no benefit.
• Vitamin E: Taking vitamin E may actually increase your risk of prostate cancer, according to a landmark 2011 study tracking more than 35,000 healthy men. It remains the largest study on vitamin E and prostate health to date.
• Selenium: The same study that reviewed the effects of vitamin E on prostate health also looked at selenium and found no real benefit. More recent research noted a “U-shaped association” between selenium supplements and prostate cancer, meaning they could increase or decrease your risk, depending on the dosage.
• Zinc: While research is mixed, a growing body of evidence suggests that taking high-dose zinc supplements long-term could increase prostate cancer risk.

Those are some of the best-studied ingredients found in prostate health supplements. You may also hear hype around:

• Green tea extract
• Lycopene
• Nettle root
• Pomegranate extract
• Pumpkin seed oil
• Pygeum
• Soy isoflavones
• Vitamin D

Dr. Gill says there’s not enough evidence to know if these substances are safe or helpful.

But do they actually work?

“If a proven prostate health supplement existed, we’d all be taking it,” he notes. “But the evidence is fairly weak or lacking.”

Based on the current science, the risks outweigh any possible benefits.

Potential risks and side effects

If you’re thinking of taking a prostate health supplement, Dr. Gill warns that you can’t be sure about the product’s ingredients, strength or purity. That’s because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements for quality and safety like they do prescription medications.

“We can’t know for sure what effect that supplement may have,” he emphasizes. “Doses can vary from batch to batch and from one manufacturer to another.”

Dr. Gill recommends talking with your doctor before starting a supplement to make sure it’s safe and won’t interact with other medications you take.

“It’s very rare for vitamins and supplements, used at recommended doses, to be dangerous. But using too much of certain compounds or getting too high a dose can lead to serious medical problems,” he adds. “It’s best to be careful.”

Lifestyle habits that support prostate health

You’re not going to find the key to long-term prostate health in the supplement aisle. Instead, experts recommend that you:

• Prioritize plant-based, whole foods. Research suggests that following a heart-healthy eating plan like the Mediterranean diet may help protect against prostate disease.
• Stay active. Regular exercise may help reduce your risk of developing BPH. If you already have BPH, Dr. Gill says that staying fit can help you feel better.
• Manage your weight. Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for prostate disease and can make BPH symptoms worse. If it’s something you’d like to work on, your provider can help you get started.
• Quit smoking. Add your prostate health to the long list of reasons to avoid tobacco: Studies consistently show that smoking increases your chances of dying from prostate cancer. A provider can help with this, too.
• Get regular checkups. Your yearly physical is a good time to check in on your prostate health. Dr. Gill says your primary care provider can also help you decide when to start talking about prostate cancer screening, usually around age 45 or 50.

The best thing you can do? Speak up if it’s getting harder to pee, there’s blood in your urine or something just doesn’t feel right.

“Come in and get it checked out. Let us help you figure out whether it’s dangerous or problematic,” Dr. Gill urges. “The most important thing is not to ignore it.”