Lipid ratios linked to benign prostatic hyperplasia risk

In the Chinese population, the triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and the total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-C ratio are associated with an increased risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a study..

Chen Zhu and colleagues examined the association between lipid ratios and the risk for BPH in Chinese men who underwent routine check-ups from January 2017 to December 2019. A total of 24,962 men were enrolled in the study.

The researchers found that 18.46 percent of the participants were ascertained as incident BPH cases after health examinations for more than two years. Significant associations with BPH risk were seen for higher age, body mass index, prostate-specific antigen, TGs, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, TG/HDL-C ratio, TC/HDL-C ratio, and lower HDL-C; the association for TC was not significant. In the multivariable model examining quartiles of TG/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C, higher TG/HDL-C and higher TC/HDL-C were associated with an increased risk for BPH (odds ratios, 2.11 and 1.67, respectively). Stratified analyses showed that the relationship between TG/HDL-C and BPH risk was dominantly positive with increasing age (35 years and older). A higher TG/HDL-C ratio may be a risk factor for BPH in those aged 35 years and older with normal TG and HDL-C.

"More attention should be paid to those with a higher TG/HDL-C in the health management process, and lifestyle modifications or lipid-lowering agents to help prevent BPH risk in middle-aged and older adults," the authors write.

I used to take 3 mg a day of boron for most of 25 years. However, about two years ago, I started taking 6 mg a day. Then I upped that to 12 mg a day about a year ago.

I further upped that to 18-20 mg a day about two months ago, 18 mg from boron supplements alone, with 1-2 mg more from a multivitamin and multimineral combo I alternate in every other day. I've seen no problems and noticed an improvement near back to normal in younger years.

There was a study that showed estrogen could increase after a few weeks, but then it goes down to normal another week or two later, on from there.

The Upper Tolerable Limit for boron is set at 20 mg a day.

Also take lycopene of at least 15 mg—better is 30+ mg. I also further upped zinc and with a bit of copper (they need to be in a certain ratio), with zinc being around 30 mg a day, with a stand-alone zinc picolinate capsule getting me there (Upper Tolerable Limit set at 40 mg total a day). For those with already high PSA scores, some research has shown extra zinc can encourage higher risk prostate cancers in some people, but it's not an apparent problem with lower PSAs.

I used to take Nettle Root extract for many years, but noticed it wasn't helping quite enough, over a year ago. I then had a preventative MRI in April and it measured my prostate, and it had just crossed out of the “normal” size range, but my PSA is still a bit under 1. I added in Pygeum and that seemed physically helpful, but decided to set both Pygeum and Nettle Root off to the side and just see what about 20 mg a day of boron, with 30 mg of lycopene (up from 15 mg) a day, could do, and within three weeks, started noticing benefit I hadn't recently had from the Nettle Root extract. In fact, I've continued to improve to the point of virtually no symptoms—and the boron, lycopene, and zinc could really be reducing BPH cell content, while the Nettle Root and Pygeum only prevented testosterone conversion. Best might be to take all of it, and I may, depending on what I notice or find from a future scan. But with my prostate just now into the “BPH” category in size, I figured it best to pare down built-up inflammatory BPH cells with supplements like boron, lycopene, and zinc, that have been shown to blow up BPH cells, through apoptosis.

There are other recently-added supplements that could be helping, but for which I do not know of formally-identified BPH benefit. GlyNAC (for glutathione production), Urolithin A (for renewing mitochondria), and Taurine (for SOD production) could be helping prostate cells, normalizing them, but the change seem more inline with just the more recent extra boron, lycopene, and zinc, which have studies showing prostate benefit.

Hope this helps you walk through a few things to consider. Of course, all of this could work different for you, too.

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