Prostate health

Time of India

04-05-2025

Lalit Kapoor is a 1971 graduate from IIT Kanpur and has done his MBA from UCLA. Lalit is a successful serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. With age, he developed lifestyle diseases and decided to reverse them by changing diet and lifestyle. This led him to study and research in the field of nutrition and plant-based whole food field. Eventually, he successfully got rid of all his chronic diseases and reinvented himself. Lalit became an inspiration for his IIT-K batch mates and started to guide them with his learnings. Many of them benefitted and successfully reversed their chronic diseases. He further incorporated the Nobel prize winning work by Nobel laureates Dr Yoshinori Ohsumi (2016) on autophagy, Dr Jeffery Hall (2017) on circadian rhythm and Dr Tasuko Honzo (2018) on immunotherapy into his recommendations. He has conducted over 450 course sessions which have been attended by over 150,000 people in over 50 countries with thousands of success stories. He runs over 100 active social groups and his NGO 'Plant Based Wellness Foundation' has over 40 centers worldwide. Lalit has also taught a course as a visiting faculty on Nutrition & Health at IIT Kanpur for one semester. LESS ... MORE
Prostate health is a subject relevant to all men over the age of 45. My focus will be on a condition known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), a common condition among aging men. If you want a rough estimate of your likelihood of being affected, just add a percentage sign to your age—60% of men over 60, 70% over 70, and so on.
Understanding the basics
The human body is constantly detoxifying itself, with waste products filtered out by the kidneys. Urine collects in the bladder, which has a capacity of around 400–500 ml. When it's full, stretch receptors trigger the urge to urinate. The bladder connects to the penis via the urethra, and surrounding the urethra just below the bladder is a small, walnut-sized gland called the prostate, weighing about 20 grams. This gland produces seminal fluid, which mixes with sperm from the testicles during ejaculation.
Early signs of BPH
The earliest sign of prostate enlargement is nocturia—waking up at night to urinate. While younger men typically sleep through the night, if you're getting up even once, it may indicate prostate growth. Another common sign is incomplete bladder emptying. If you urinate, pause, and then feel the need to go again shortly after, your prostate may be enlarged and obstructing urine flow.
What Causes BPH?
The exact cause of BPH is still unknown. Some research suggests a potential link to dairy consumption, but the mechanism remains unclear. Here are some of the risk factors associated with prostate growth:
According to Mayo Clinic, obesity among men can increase the risk of BPH.
Zinc deficiency (which may be helped by consuming pumpkin and sesame seeds).
Dietary deficiency in Omega-3 intake is another risk factor. I recommend that flaxseeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds should be consumed regularly. Salmon is a rich source of omega-3 and Zinc so if you are going to consume some animal food, salmon may be your least harmful bet.
How BPH Affects urine action
The main issue with an enlarged prostate is the obstruction of urine flow, either from the enlarged gland or from weakened urethral walls. The urethra is lined with epithelial cells, which can be weakened by poor nutrition and exposure to toxins from ultra-processed foods. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)—produced by gut bacteria digesting dietary fiber—help strengthen these epithelial cells. Diets low in fiber and high in chemicals (even those deemed 'Generally Recognised as Safe' or GRAS) can contribute to urinary issues. It is for this reason I advise against consuming ultra-processed foods.
After age 40–45, the prostate typically starts enlarging and may reach 100 grams or more, putting pressure on the urethra. The pressure with which we urinate goes down. In addition with age other symptoms begin to show up such as:
Terminal dripping: After urination has ended, a few drops persist.
Hesitancy: Before you can start urinating, it takes some time for flow to begin.
Incomplete emptying: A feeling that you have not completely emptied the bladder.
As these things happen when the bladder needs to work harder to compensate for obstruction in the urethra. The frequency of urination increases, the sense of urgency also sets in, nocturia also develops and you start going to bathroom during the night; starting with once and then slowly frequency increases to 4-5 times.
Whatever I have discussed so far is commonly called normal behavior. Most men expect it as a part of aging process. It is at this stage that complications begin to arise. Some of these complications include:
Infections in stored urine causing a burning sensation during urination Crystal formations in stored urine which combine to form stones in the kidney or bladder. Stones can also block the urethra. Chronic Urinary Retention: The normal bladder size is 500ml. +/- 100ml. Under chronic urinary retention, it can double, triple, or even quadruple. This can lead to a problem of incontinence and also affect the kidneys. Acute Urinary Retention: The worst problem is when one finds that one morning they are unable to urinate and need to be taken to the emergency room.
I have intentionally not covered other serious prostate problems like prostatitis and prostate cancer for which you need to see a Urologist.
The good news
If you're following a plant-based whole-food (PBWF) diet, practicing intermittent fasting, and are physically active (walking 10,000 steps or more a day), you may already be protecting your prostate health. Many of my health group members, including myself, have experienced significant improvement—my nocturia episodes decreased from 4–5 times a night at age 63 to just once per night.
Treatment and prevention strategies
My experience with hundreds of patients suggests that a plant-based, whole food diet rich in Omega-3s (flax, chia, hemp seeds and walnuts) helps reduce symptoms of BPH. Pumpkin seeds have long been used to support urinary and prostate health. Interestingly, deep-sea divers are known to consume them regularly for this very reason. Recent studies highlight two key benefits of pumpkin seed consumption on urinary flow:
Reduced urgency and improved emptying: After consuming meals or beverages with diuretic effects, men who take pumpkin seeds report fewer urgent trips to the bathroom and more complete bladder emptying. Strengthened urethral function: Daily intake of pumpkin seeds has been shown to strengthen the walls of the urethra, improving urinary flow metrics by over 20%.
Other helpful approaches include:
Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pine nuts) are high in zinc, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Green tea and cranberry juice: Both have shown potential benefits for the prostate.
Cruciferous vegetables, berries, tomatoes, and green tea—all rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Two small studies have found some theoretical evidence that bananas may reduce symptoms caused by prostate growth.
The evidence suggests that one cause of prostate growth is dairy. So all dairy products must be avoided.
Regular physical activity is very important for prostate sufferers. Walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, dancing and yoga are all good activities.
The '5-second exercise' often mentioned in relation to prostate health is a type of Kegel exercise. This exercise involves contracting and holding the pelvic floor muscles for five seconds, then relaxing them. Kegel exercises can help strengthen these muscles, which support the bladder, bowel, and prostate.
The research also suggests that engagement in regular sex seems to help with prostate problems greatly.
To manage symptoms of an enlarged prostate one should avoid drinks that can irritate the bladder and increase urination. These include coffee, black tea, soft drinks, beer, wine, whiskey, energy drinks, sweetened fruit juices, milkshakes, and alcoholic cocktails. Please watch the linked videos on the subject.
Prostate health
https://youtu.be/tq3X27c1bTc
Prostate Health: 5 tips to help prevent an enlarged prostate
https://youtu.be/Bcnz22XFFE0
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Views expressed above are the author's own.