Handling your family diet needs
The prostate is a small gland involved in the production of semen and located between the penis and the bladder. It’s enlargement, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is very common especially in older men. Around 60% of men aged 60 or over will have some degree of prostate enlargement.
The cause of the enlargement is not known but it is believed to be linked to the changes in the man’s testosterone level due to ageing. The enlargement of the prostate puts pressure on the bladder and the urethra, the tube through which urine passes. The pressure could cause symptoms including:
• Difficulty starting urination
• Weak flow of urine or stopping and starting during urination
• Need for more frequent urination
• Straining during urination
• Frequent night time waking to urinate
• Sudden urges to urinate which can result in incontinence if a toilet is not found quickly enough.
• Blood in urine and
• Inability to fully empty bladder.
Although BPH can cause the above symptoms, it is not usually a serious threat to a man’s health. In some men the symptoms are mild requiring no treatment whilst in others it can be very debilitating.
Complications are rare but do occur. There are two main complications that you should look out for:
• Urinary tract infection (UTI) due to inability to fully empty the bladder causing bacteria in the urinary tract, that would normally have been flushed out, to remain in the tract and flourish and spread causing an infection. The symptoms of a UTI are cloudy, bloody or foul-smelling urine, pain in lower abdomen or mid to lower back, nausea, vomiting and or fever.
If you suspect you might have one you will need antibiotics. They are not usually serious but repeated infections could damage the kidney and bladder.
• Another complication that could occur from BPH is acute urinary retention (AUR). This is the sudden inability to pass urine. It should be treated as a medical emergency because without prompt treatment urine could pass back up into the kidneys damaging them. Other symptoms of AUR include severe pain in the lower abdomen and or swelling of the bladder that can be felt with the hands. AUR is treated is treated by inserting a tube, called a catheter, to drain the urine out of the bladder.
They are several treatments available to alleviate the symptoms of BPH.
You should avoid alcohol and caffeine, exercise regularly for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day, stop any liquid intake one to two hours before bed to reduce night time waking to pass urine. There is also bladder training, which is usually conducted under medical supervision, medication such as alpha blockers and as a last resort surgery.
However as I always say prevention is better than cure. Scientific evidence suggests that switching to a diet high in protein (eggs, milk, soya, fish and chicken) and vegetables and low in red meat and fat may in fact reduce the risk of developing an enlarged prostate in later life.
EMMA SEYI-ONABULE