Prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia are nearly as common as the common cold. BPH affects about 50 percent of men by age 60 and 80 percent of men over age 70.
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland; BPH is an enlargement that often accompanies aging. In both, the prostate presses on the urethra, often causing frequent urination and, for some, sexual dysfunction.
Medical experts do not completely understand the causes — or how to best treat them. But recent research suggests that nutrition might counter these conditions.
• Tomatoes provide a wealth of prostate-health-preserving micronutrients, according to a recent report. Eating ripe or cooked tomatoes may help prevent and manage aging-related prostate enlargement.
Among the tomato’s most powerful phytonutrients is lycopene, an anti-inflammatory carotenoid. But lycopene’s benefits depend on the fruit’s full complement of phytonutrients. “In conjunction with the other micronutrients in the whole tomato, lycopene efficiently interferes with the major biochemical pathological pathways leading to and fueling benign prostate enlargement,” says Pier Giorgio Natali, MD, one of the report authors.
• A plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish or other sources of omega-3 fatty acids — in addition to less red and processed meat — may reduce prostatic growth and smooth muscle tone, improving prostate symptoms.
• Herbal treatments like saw palmetto are often taken for prostate symptoms, according to functional-medicine practitioner Chris Kresser, MS, LAc. He also notes that rye-pollen extract, which has anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to reduce pain in men with prostatitis.
This article originally appeared as “How to Eat for Prostate Health” in the March/April 2026 issue of Experience Life.
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