Zinc, Enlarged Prostate And Prostatitis

Zinc, Prostate Enlargement and Prostatitis


Zinc is one of the many nutrients that the human body needs to function correctly – in fact, the nutrient is critical to our survival. In order to understand whether zinc is beneficial for prostate problems prevention, we must first understand what zinc is and what it does in the body. Zinc is found in every single cell that is in the body. The mineral plays several roles that help cells function correctly.

It has a critical part to play in the function of the immune system, ensuring viruses, bacteria, and other invaders can be fought off effectively.This mineral is also needed to produce DNA. DNA is the genetic makeup that is part of who we are – and also forms part of all cells. As well as protein production, zinc plays a role in gene expression, wound healing, and specific enzymatic reactions.

One crucial factor to note about zinc is that the human body is not able to produce this mineral by itself. Thus, a person needs to ensure they consume foods that can provide them with an adequate amount of zinc daily. The best source of zinc is oysters, but it's also plentiful in red meat and poultry. Among the other good sources are beans, nuts, crab, lobster, whole grains, breakfast cereals, and dairy products.

What does Zinc do for the prostate?

In some studies, zinc has been shown to be beneficial to the prostate gland, while in others, its consumption has been linked to potentially harmful outcomes.

Zinc is present in the cells that make up the prostate. That is one fact that all studies can agree on. Just like the mineral plays a role in all other cells throughout the body, it does so in the cells that make up the prostate gland too.

According to one study, there is a much higher concentration of zinc within the cells of the prostate gland, when compared to cells located in any other part of the human body.

The presence of zinc in the prostate gland might, in part, be responsible for ensuring inflammation in the area is kept to a minimum.

Zinc and enlarged prostate?

Zinc plays a role in the immune system as We have already noted. Another study, published in the Journal of Inflammopharmacology, looked at how zinc affected inflammatory responses throughout the entire human body.

The researchers behind the study explain that the mineral zinc influences the specific immune responses that are involved in inflammation. Appropriate levels of the zinc mineral in the human body seem to exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect.

Since it has been established that zinc does play a role in the regulation of inflammatory responses, we can proceed to look at what an enlarged prostate is.

While the cause behind enlarged prostate still remains a mystery in many cases, researchers do know that an enlarged prostate means there is inflammation affecting this particular gland.

A clinical trial, published in the Indian Journal of Urology, looked at the zinc status of patients who had previously been diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). There was also a group of patients with prostate carcinoma involved in the study – the same tests were performed on participants in this group.

Levels of zinc were measured in prostate tissue. Researchers also tested the zinc/creatinine ratio in the urine of all participants who were part of the study.

All results were compared to samples and results obtained from male patients who did not have either one of these conditions – with tissue being considered “normal” or otherwise “healthy.”

Two important conclusions were made in this study, showing a clear relationship between zinc and an enlarged prostate.

With this in mind, the reduction in zinc levels detected among individuals with an enlarged prostate might indicate a need for additional supplementation with the mineral.

Due to the role that zinc seems to play in the regulation of inflammation, regaining a balanced level of the mineral could benefit an enlarged prostate.

There are, however, other supplements that may further contribute to improvements in symptoms.

Zinc and prostatitis.

Prostatitis is another condition where zinc may yield positive effects. This particular condition usually refers to an acute set of symptoms that develop, which include inflammation that occurs within the prostate gland.

The inflammation can lead to several potential complications.

The patient may find that peeing becomes difficult. This happens because the swelling of the prostate gland leads to a restriction in the urethra.

When we take a look at the role of zinc in prostatitis, we will definitely see many similarities with what we have discussed previously.

The significant difference here is the fact that prostatitis will generally lead to an acute case of inflammation.

The utilization of zinc supplementation in the case of prostatitis might, however, still yield an anti-inflammatory effect in some individuals – especially when levels of zinc in the person’s body is lower than what it should be.

Men Over 50 and Low Zinc Status: A Need for Zinc Supplementation?

In the light that more than half of men in their 60's suffer from prostate enlargement, which increases to 90% over  70–80 years of age, and the direct effects of zinc on normal or malignant prostate cells, the need of adequate zinc status in men for having a healthy prostate becomes evident. Zinc levels in the prostate are dependent on circulating zinc levels, so it is important to maximize cellular uptake of zinc in tissues and intestinal absorption. It has been shown in several studies that older adults (older adults >50 years) frequently have low zinc status . Although the daily requirement for zinc does not increase with age, lifestyle factors and a reduced capacity to absorb zinc, an increase in the likelihood of diseases that affect zinc utilization, and the use of drugs that may decrease the bioavailability of zinc may all contribute to putting older individuals at an increased risk for the development of a mild zinc deficiency.

Older adults that are vulnerable to the onset of enlarged prostate  and prostate cancer, therefore, may need zinc supplementation. Men with enlarged prostate and prostate cancer have an increase in zinc excretion compared with healthy men; at the same time, some comorbidities are also known to provoke zinc excretion such as severe or persistent diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases, and renal disease. Recent studies and meta-analyses have found an association between inflammatory bowel disease and PCa. Additionally, older men are more prone to gastrointestinal cancers and malabsorption syndromes that prevent zinc absorption.