Benign Prostatic Hypersplasia, or (BPH) is a swelling of the prostate gland. BPH affects at least half of men over the age of 50. It is the most common prostate problem.
BPH can cause:
– Slowness or dribbling of urine — Hesitancy when starting to urinate — Frequent urination — A sudden need to urinate — A need to urinate many times during sleep hours Eventually, BPH can lead to:
— Bladder stones — Blood in the urine — Bladder infections — Blockage of urine — Damage to kidneys from storing extra urine in the bladder
If you’re worried about your prostate and BPH, a new study shows that eating cruciferous vegetables can protect against swelling.
Cruciferous comes from the Latin word meaning “cross.” They are part of a family of vegetables that have a high content of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are cancer fighters. And they’re antioxidants.
In the plant kingdom, plants produce phytochemicals to protect themselves. Phytochemicals can stop the invasion of neighboring plants. They also give positive feeding cues to beneficial insects and negative feeding cues to harmful insects. And they give protection against microbial invasions and fungal growth.
There are more than a 1,000 known phytochemicals. Cruciferous vegetables are particularly high in a certain type of photochemical called “glucosinolates.” In humans, once glucosinolates have been chopped, chewed, and digested, they become powerful compounds that fight disease.
The American Journal of Nutrition published the results of a study that found cruciferous vegetables in particular reduced the risk for BPH in men between the ages of 46 and 81.
The study was performed at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and involved almost 33,000 individuals. The researchers found that, along with cruciferous vegetables, raw spinach, peaches and legumes also had a beneficial effect on prostate health.
Try eating some of these cruciferous vegetables to boost your prostate health:
— Arugula — Broccoli — Brussels sprouts — Bok choy — Cabbage — Cauliflower — Chinese cabbage — Collard greens — Daikon — Kale — Kohlrabi — Mustard greens — Radishes — Turnips — Watercress