The REAL Causes of Prostate Enlargement in Men Over 50s

Introduction to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia 0:00

In this video I'm going to talk about the surprising causes of prostate enlargement known as benign prostatic hyperplasia. And this is a very common age-associated condition that involves of course enlargment of the prostate gland. Now to properly prevent and treat prostate and enlargement you have to know what the causes are and that's what I am going get into in this Video. Now, about 50% of men between the ages of 51 and 60 have prostate enlargement. And of course, as we age, the condition becomes more common.

If you're over 70 years of age likely you have some degree of prostate largement and the conditions is generally more severe and aggressive in African

Common Symptoms of Prostate Enlargement 0:34

American men. The symptoms that are common with large prostate include an incomplete emptying of the bladder so your bladder fills full even after releasing urine. You have increased urinary frequency, the need to urinate often, about every hour or two in some more severe cases. Intermittency, they need stop and start several times while urinating, which is a real pain. Urgency, sensation of needing to Urinate right away. A weak stream, a lot of men will report a weak or feeble urination stream.

Straining, you have the needed to push or strain to start your urine flow. And then night time urinations, known as Nocturia. This of course means the needs to wake up at night to urine more than two times. Now, the thing is, is there's no single cause of prostate enlargement. Instead, there are several different causes, including genetic factors. However, one thing that researchers can agree on is that as men age, There are hormonal changes, which definitely affect prostate largements. So let's talk about these hormones, Which really get at the root of why a lot of men have prostate in largement.

Well, testosterone. A lot people think that testosterone is the culprit why prostates enlarge in men.

Hormonal Causes: Testosterone and DHT 1:35

Testosterone levels decreases men's age. That's not a good link. We don't find that prostate enlargement is common in men in their late teens or early twenties when their testosterone levels are at their highest levels. As well, men who have been castrated no longer have testicles. Who have low testosterone level do not have issues with prostate enlargement. Then there's the hormone metabolite dihydrotestosterone. Now this is a little bit different because this IS associated with prostrate enlargment.

as the prostate gland contains the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. Now DHt binds to certain receptors in the prostate and stimulates growth. And when we're younger, we need this because DH t stimulats prostate growth during development, even starting in a womb in males. However, as dht continues to stimulate prostate, growth later in life, then that can lead to prostate enlargement. And we know that men with prostate enlargement tend to have higher levels or concentrations of DHT.

As well, they have a higher level of the enzyme activity of 5-alpha reductase, which again seems to be related to prostate enlargement. There can be other issues. They can have genetic variations in the receptors for DHTs. Variations known as polymorphisms. And in some studies, that's been shown to related with the prostate. These receptors found in high concentrations in prostate gland influence the binding of dihydrotestosterone. as well as the regulation of genes that can affect the prostate.

Estrogen, Progesterone, and Other Hormonal Factors 3:00

Now let's talk about estrogen because men have estrogen aswell. And this is another hormone that's been shown to influence prostate growth. So while estrogen is a normal part of the male hormonal system, and it's produced in fat, brain tissue, bone and other tissues, the production of estrogen, is primarily controlled by the enzyme known as aromatase, which converts the hormone androstenedione, Which is made by testicles and adrenal glands, into the estrogen known estradiol. So, aromatase also converts testosterone from fat and muscle cells into estradiol or estrogen.

An increased activity of aromatase seems to be a causative factor in prostate enlargement. Now, men tend to accumulate fat as they age, which leads to an increased arometase activity, as well as decreased testosterone, but elevated estrogen levels. Age does not cause estrogen to decline the way it does with testosterone. Matter of fact, the relative excess of estrogen in aging men compared to their testosterone known as the estrogen-androgen ratio, influences the later phases of prostate enlargement and even prostate cancer.

Now there are two types of estrogen receptors inside the prostate cells. You got the alpha and beta estrogen receptor. And when estrogen binds to the alfa receptors, it stimulates prostate cell growth as well as prostate inflammation. The binding of estrogens to beta cells oppositely is anti-growth and anti inflammatory with the potential for anti cancer effects. Now, what about the hormone progesterone? Again, often thought of as a female hormone, but it's also known to play a role in men's health.

It's produced in the adrenal glands and specialized cells of the testicles, known as the labia cells. These are the same cells actually produce testosterone.

Lifestyle and Nutritional Risk Factors 4:36

And the prostate gland has receptors for progeterones. Now there are other factors that may play role on the formation of prostate enlargement, including elevated levels of hormone insulin, as seen with insulin resistance, things like pre-diabetes, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, Also insulin growth like factors, norepinephrine and other peptides and hormones. Other factors include men who have a high waist to hip ratio, obesity and again genetics can play a role as well. And there are several nutritional balances associated with prostate enlargement such as a High intake of animal protein, saturated fat and high cholesterol intake.

Men that consume too high of a calorie intake. Also, men who do not consume enough omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D deficiency are also said as risk factors for prostate enlargement. So these are the key risk-factors for prostate enlargment. If you're using diet, exercise, the right nutritional supplements, you can affect these root causes. I have other videos on the best supplements to use for Prostate Largement, as well as articles on my website on markstengler.com, and videos of how you best treat prostate largements.

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