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Some evidence suggests that eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and soy foods might help men avoid BPH, and that eating too many dairy foods might increase the risk. Garlic and onions, members of the vegetable family known as allium, have demonstrated a number of health effects such as fighting infection and preventing heart disease and some cancers. Their effect on BPH is not clear but previous research has suggested that garlic might be beneficial.

The new study, published in Urology, compared the diets of 1,369 men with and 1,451 men without BPH. Men who ate onions four or more times per week had a 59% lower BPH risk than men who never ate onions. Garlic was also found to be protective: men who ate the most garlic had a 28% lower risk than men who never did.

Some medications for BPH and the herbal supplement saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) work by reducing the levels of hormones believed to play a role in BPH development. Although it is not known for sure, garlic might also reduce the levels of these hormones by inhibiting cholesterol production, which is needed for hormone synthesis. In addition, onions and garlic contain antioxidants, enzymes, and other plant chemicals that might benefit the prostate gland.

“This first study on the potential role of allium vegetables on BPH suggests that a diet rich in onion and garlic may have a favorable effect on the odds of developing BPH,” the researchers concluded.

Commented Julianne Forbes, a naturopathic doctor in Maine, “The symptoms of BPH affect many people and can dramatically diminish their quality of life. Onions and garlic, which might help, are safe and inexpensive, and should be easy to incorporate into the diet.”

(Urology 2007;70:672–6)

Drunk throughout Asia for centuries, green tea is produced by heating, rolling, and drying the fresh leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Unlike black tea, which is produced from the same plant, green tea is not fermented; skipping the fermentation step helps preserve the tea’s catechin content.

Catechins are believed to play a role in the prevention of chronic diseases like cancer (including colon, breast, and prostate cancers) and heart disease. The only catch is that when these disease-fighting substances are drunk as a tea, they might not survive the digestive process.

The new study looked at the effect of how you take your tea—with different preservatives such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or with various creamers or juices—on the levels of catechins available for absorption. “Teas and tea mixes could be of great value in reducing disease severity and risk if factors associated with its protective activity are identified,” the authors noted.

Citrus juices significantly increased catechin levels following laboratory-simulated digestion, as did ascorbic acid, soymilk, rice milk, and cow’s milk. “Beverages prepared with ascorbic acid contents as low as 50% of the RDI [recommended daily intake] would likely provide effective protection,” the team commented. This amount is found in many ready-to-drink tea preparations.

Adding different creamers to green tea increased the available catechin levels from less than 20% to as much as 69%. Citrus juices were the clear winner, though, resulting in the maximum catechin recovery of any preparation. The highest catechin levels were found by adding lemon juice, followed by orange, lime, and grapefruit juice.

While different tea preparations still need to be studied under true digestive conditions, adding some lemon to your tea could be a tasty way to boost the benefits of this ancient infusion. Keep a fresh lemon or a bottle of preservative-free natural lemon juice in the refrigerator as a handy accompaniment to your green tea.

(Mol Nutr Food Res 2007;51:1152–62)