Over 50's Guys - Our special needs

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Fvaisey
Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
I have been suffering from BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) for 8 years or so. After lots of reading and research I found that this can be attributed to the typical American (Western) diet as much as diabetes and obesity. There is a lot of literature out there about BPH and Prostate cancer, for American men it's stated that it's not a question of if you will suffer from them but when.

One of the sites I've been following started recommending a LCHF to relieve the symptoms of BPH and prevent prostate cancer. After reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living I decided to give it a try and I find that this has relieved to a great extent the symptoms I experience. I wonder if anyone else has seen some relief from these symptoms and if they'd care to share?
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  • totaloblivia
    totaloblivia Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Good luck!
  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
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    I'm over 50, but my prostate seems to be behaving itself so far. Nice to know there's another reason to stay low carb.

    Got a study I can read? At first glance, the studies I looked at found a correlation, but not a mechanism. So many people have high insulin and metabolic syndrome that correlation alone probably isn't very meaningful.

    IGF-1 seems like a better suspect -- it makes sense for hyperplasia. If so, fasting might help too.
  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
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    The only study so far is my anecdotal evidence. I believe there are studies regarding BPH add a inflammatory response. And it seems to be well accepted that a low carb diet reduces the risk of cancer.

    I work at a hospital and part of our protocol for brain tumors is a very low carb diet.

    I'll see if I can find some studies.
  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
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    I know this is a men's thread, but BPH symptoms can also be remarkably reduced in some men by eliminating caffeine. I don't know why, but the Uro office I go to and many men I know go to have all been told this.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    I'm afraid, you can find afraid what ever you can find is whatever you can find, lol!!!!
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    Mind, whatever YOU can find!!!¡¡¡¡¡
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    Rock on with ur bad self!!!!!
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    Self matters!
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    Oh my!!!
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    It does matter!!!!!!
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
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    If
    T does!!!
  • radiii
    radiii Posts: 422 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I know this is a men's thread, but BPH symptoms can also be remarkably reduced in some men by eliminating caffeine. I don't know why, but the Uro office I go to and many men I know go to have all been told this.

    I didn't realize it was considered gender specific (or necessarily prostate related). My urologist, and later Pelvic Floor physical therapist both recommended cutting out caffeine to me, describing it as a "bladder irritant" in some people. It wasn't for me, at least in small doses. Back when I was drinking 5-10 Dr Pepper's a day, who knows. But my cup of green tea now on low carb wasn't a part of the problem.

    I was on a BPH med, but I didn't have it. I had a lot of vague pelvic floor symptoms, and was on an overactive bladder me and a BPH med, despite not being diagnosed with either. Weight loss on a low carb diet + Pelvic Floor PT eventually resolved almost all of my symptoms and got me off almost all of my meds (still taking 1/2 a dose of the overactive bladder med, I think I should try to drop it again soon actually and see what happens). But I'm also only 38, and prostate was ruled out early on as a problem for me, so I think my case was a bit different than the problems that come for many down the road.
  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
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    radiii wrote: »
    I know this is a men's thread, but BPH symptoms can also be remarkably reduced in some men by eliminating caffeine. I don't know why, but the Uro office I go to and many men I know go to have all been told this.

    I didn't realize it was considered gender specific (or necessarily prostate related). My urologist, and later Pelvic Floor physical therapist both recommended cutting out caffeine to me, describing it as a "bladder irritant" in some people. It wasn't for me, at least in small doses. Back when I was drinking 5-10 Dr Pepper's a day, who knows. But my cup of green tea now on low carb wasn't a part of the problem.

    I was on a BPH med, but I didn't have it. I had a lot of vague pelvic floor symptoms, and was on an overactive bladder me and a BPH med, despite not being diagnosed with either. Weight loss on a low carb diet + Pelvic Floor PT eventually resolved almost all of my symptoms and got me off almost all of my meds (still taking 1/2 a dose of the overactive bladder med, I think I should try to drop it again soon actually and see what happens). But I'm also only 38, and prostate was ruled out early on as a problem for me, so I think my case was a bit different than the problems that come for many down the road.

    It's not gender specific nor BPH specific. It's recommended because the symptoms of BPH are often manifested in the urinary tract.

    I know about the men being told this because I have Interstitial Cystitis (shares a lot of the same symptoms as BPH and is often misdiagnosed as BPH when it occurs in men) and have been treated for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction for years because I tense up my pelvic floor in response to the pain in my bladder.

    It's a men's thread, so I wanted to share specifically what's been shared with me about BPH in men and what the Urologists have told them. Caffeine, especially coffee, even though good for most people, is a serious bladder irritant for those of us with IC, and since most men seem to have lots of urinary symptoms with BPH, it sort of makes sense to cut it out to see if it helps with not living in front of urinal or having to get up so many times at night and sacrificing proper sleep.

  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
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    I guess I should consider cutting out caffeine for a bit and see if that causes further improvement. That will be tough as I just started doing primal coffee in the morning and it's The Bomb (and a fat bomb!)
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Here I felt like a rebel peeking into the Men's thread, like peeking into the locker room, and I find a bunch of ladies not only peeked, they posted. lol. I don't have info about BPH, but I am interested since my SO is an over 50 male.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Fvaisey wrote: »
    I guess I should consider cutting out caffeine for a bit and see if that causes further improvement. That will be tough as I just started doing primal coffee in the morning and it's The Bomb (and a fat bomb!)

    You could actually try this using decaf coffee. If you use coconut oil in it, you'll still get most of the energy boost.
  • radiii
    radiii Posts: 422 Member
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    It's not gender specific nor BPH specific. It's recommended because the symptoms of BPH are often manifested in the urinary tract.

    I know about the men being told this because I have Interstitial Cystitis (shares a lot of the same symptoms as BPH and is often misdiagnosed as BPH when it occurs in men) and have been treated for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction for years because I tense up my pelvic floor in response to the pain in my bladder.

    Ahh, I gotcha :)

    Interstitial Cystitis is one of those things that I heard a lot about as well while I was going through my issues, as far as "well some of your symptoms match IC, so you might try these things, but I don't think that's what you have", in the end it turns out I don't have IC. I did a lot of reading on it just in case though, all my sympathies to you for having to deal with it. I went through a number of rounds of biofeedback and "downtraining" to figure out a similar tensing up issue, too. But luckily I was doing that while I was having a reduction in symptoms. If I had constant/recurring issues I'm not sure how that would have worked out.
  • spush
    spush Posts: 132 Member
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    deksgrl wrote: »
    Here I felt like a rebel peeking into the Men's thread, like peeking into the locker room, and I find a bunch of ladies not only peeked, they posted. lol. I don't have info about BPH, but I am interested since my SO is an over 50 male.

    I peeked too.... :P

  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
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    radiii wrote: »
    It's not gender specific nor BPH specific. It's recommended because the symptoms of BPH are often manifested in the urinary tract.

    I know about the men being told this because I have Interstitial Cystitis (shares a lot of the same symptoms as BPH and is often misdiagnosed as BPH when it occurs in men) and have been treated for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction for years because I tense up my pelvic floor in response to the pain in my bladder.

    Ahh, I gotcha :)

    Interstitial Cystitis is one of those things that I heard a lot about as well while I was going through my issues, as far as "well some of your symptoms match IC, so you might try these things, but I don't think that's what you have", in the end it turns out I don't have IC. I did a lot of reading on it just in case though, all my sympathies to you for having to deal with it. I went through a number of rounds of biofeedback and "downtraining" to figure out a similar tensing up issue, too. But luckily I was doing that while I was having a reduction in symptoms. If I had constant/recurring issues I'm not sure how that would have worked out.

    I am so glad you do not have IC, and am very glad that you seem to be doing much better after PT and treatment.

  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,050 Member
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    We're all peeking.... Is it because we are used to taking care of men, and children and everyone around us ? It startled me at first to find this thread...so used to seeing the ladies thread. Or are we just nosy, and want to find out what the men are talking about ?