I’m sure you’re familiar with the old cliché “Mother Nature knows best.” Well clichés often contain a germ of truth. The fact is some of the best solutions for dealing with a testy prostate are in fact all-natural ones. Nature has provided us with vitamins and minerals that on their own can both potentially ward off prostate cancer and reduce troubling prostate symptoms.

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Vitamin E stimulates the immune system, has positive cardiovascular effects, and potentially decreases the DNA damage that can lead to cancer. In September 2000, the University of Utah School of Medicine found conclusive evidence and reported that vitamin E also significantly inhibits the growth of human prostate cells.

Researchers in the Division of Nutrition at the University of Texas concurred with these findings. Their vitamin E research confirmed that the vitamin does trigger cell death in human prostate cancer cells without affecting the normal prostate cells.

In other words, vitamin E has been shown not only to stop the spread of prostate cancer cells but to actually kill them. Of course, more research is needed; still, however these findings are extremely exciting.

A 2009 case-control study conducted by the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, the results of which were published in the journal Acta oncológica, found that vitamin E in the diet significantly reduced the incidence of cancer in a surveyed group of Italian men.

The U.S. recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adult men is 15 mg (22.4 IU) daily. This dosage is probably too conservative. A dosage of 400 IUs to 800 IUs a day should provide the protection you need. Even better, like the men in the Italian study, you can add more vitamin E to your diet. Almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, broccoli, spinach, and fish are all great-tasting sources.

Vitamin E is very safe for most people. However, don’t take more than 800 IU a day. If you are already on a blood-thinning medication, you should check with your doctor before taking a vitamin E supplement. Vitamin E can increase the effects of your prescription.

Get your Zs

Testosterone is closely interrelated with the mineral zinc. This mineral governs testosterone metabolism at the cellular level and is also thought to control it in the prostate, which just happens to be the organ where zinc is stored in the greatest abundance!

Zinc has a powerful effect on your potency and sex drive, as well as on the health of your prostate. A mild zinc deficiency can cause a big drop in sperm count, while a moderate deficiency can lead to a “regression” of your sex glands. Supplements of zinc have been shown to be useful in the prevention and treatment of male infertility. Low zinc levels can lead to a decreased sex drive and can cause loss of appetite and emotional problems. In contrast, in one study, 14 out of 19 patients who were treated with zinc for two months showed reduced enlargement of the prostate.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry looked at the effects of zinc on both prostate cancer cells and noncancerous benign prostate hyperplasia cells. The study’s authors concluded that in both cases zinc likely plays an important role in regulating cell growth and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells and the hyperplasia cells.

The problem is that very little zinc is present in the modern U.S. diet. It’s been leached out of the soil, so it’s almost nonexistent in America’s farmland. Natural farm-produced foods that used to contain reliable amounts of zinc no longer do.

This makes it essential to supplement your diet with zinc. The usual recommended dosage for adults is 30 mg daily. Doses of up to 50 mg a day are considered safe, but doses higher than 50 mg are not recommended and could have an adverse effect on health. Doses of 150 milligrams or greater can cause diarrhea. Zinc is also found in such food sources as whole grains, most seafood, sunflower seeds, soybeans, and onions.

Consider pumpkin seeds as a balanced source of zinc and magnesium, another mineral shown to have positive benefits on the prostate. Pumpkin seeds also provide essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFA deficiencies are closely associated with BPH, particularly since EFAs are the nutritional precursors to prostaglandins, which, in turn, inhibit testosterone from binding to the prostate. EFAs have been shown to influence the spread of prostate cells at all levels of prostate illness.