Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a huge problem for men, especially as they get older. The condition is caused by a benign swelling of the prostate, which can obstruct urine flow and make a man’s day-to-day life absolutely miserable.
Some men eventually turn to prescription drugs to deal with their troubling symptoms. But this act of desperation simply adds insult to injury. In fact, a new study has found that commonly used BPH drugs can increase a man’s risk of developing Type II diabetes.
Fortunately, there are many effective, natural options to prevent (and even reverse) BPH—without resorting to these harmful drugs. I’ll tell you all about them in a moment. But first, let’s back up to take a closer look at the new study…
3 BPH drugs linked to Type II diabetes
The new study compared outcomes for men who took dutasteride (Avodart®), finasteride (Proscar®), or tamsulosin (Flomax®).
Dutasteride and finasteride are known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Which means they prevent actual enlargement of the prostate by blocking an enzyme needed by the body to make dihydrotestosterone, a male sex hormone that can cause the prostate to grow. Tamsulosin, on the other hand, is an alpha blocker that simply relaxes the muscles in the prostate to improve blood flow. All three are considered steroids.
During an average follow-up period of about five years, there were just over 2,000 new cases of Type II diabetes among all the men taking these prostate drugs. Specifically, the rates were:
- 76 cases of Type II diabetes for every 10,000 men taking dutasteride
- 77 cases of Type II diabetes for every 10,000 men taking finasteride
- 60 cases of Type II diabetes for every 10,000 men taking tamsulosin
So, the men who took dutasteride had a 32 percent increased risk of developing Type II diabetes compared to men who took tamsulosin. And men who took finasteride had a 26 percent increased risk of developing Type II diabetes compared to tamsulosin. (In China, the increased risk of dutasteride was 34 percent and finasteride was 49 percent.)
Plus, in my view, those increases in risk would climb even higher if the study had included an untreated, placebo group as the control. Instead, they just compared two bad drugs to another bad drug.
Steroids cause systemic problems with metabolism
Of course, these findings don’t surprise me much as all steroid drugs cause systemic problems…
For one, they powerfully interfere with the immune system.
They also interfere with metabolism, disrupting how the body regulates blood sugar. No wonder more men develop blood sugar problems after taking these steroids!
Plus, this study isn’t the first time researchers uncovered a connection between prostate drugs and Type II diabetes.
Clearly, it’s time to add these BPH treatments to the list of commonly prescribed drugs that raise the risk of Type II diabetes—along with some blood pressure drugs and cholesterol-lowering statin drugs—which many men take together.
Of course, the researchers tried to claim these increased risks were “small.”
But I’m certainly not willing to accept a nearly 50 percent increased risk of developing Type II diabetes—the leading cause of cardio-metabolic heart disease, the No. 1 killer in older men.
Fortunately, you have many nutritional and natural approaches to preventing and reversing prostate diseases and prostate cancer, which don’t require taking steroid drugs that increase your risk of diabetes and other medical problems.
For example, clinical trials have shown these three dietary supplements to be very effective for BPH (and prostatitis):
- Quercetin – 1,000 mg per day
- Rye grass pollen extract – 500 mg per day
- Saw palmetto berry extract –900 mg doses per day. NOTE:Choose a supplement that contains 100 mg of beta-sitosterol (the plant’s main active ingredient).
You can find these ingredients in high quality supplements, as I discuss in my new protocol, the Insider’s Ultimate Guide to Perfect Prostate Health.
This comprehensive, science-backed protocol will teach you everything you need to know about how to NATURALLY conquer prostate cancer, banish an enlarged prostate, and maximize your manhood. Click here to learn more about this innovative learning tool or sign up today.
P.S. Tune back in tomorrow for an update about a disturbing, new prostate cancer treatment.
Source:
“Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in men receiving steroid 5α-reductase inhibitors: population based cohort study.” BMJ 2019;365:l1204. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1204