Prostate Problems and Hor monal Dysfunction 193
glutamic acid. These amino acids are present in prostate fl uid. Although
considered nonessential because the body makes them, it is safe to
assume, given their great success in reducing enlarged prostates, that
men with prostate problems are defi cient in them. According to a
recent, exhaustive study of subjects with prostate enlargement who took
these three amino acids for two months, 92 percent had a reduction in
the size of their prostate gland and 95 percent urinated less frequently
at night.^5Side Effects of Nutritional Supplements and How to
Avoid Them
While there are many supplements that reduce prostate swelling, they
shouldn’t be taken indiscriminately on the assumption that they have
no side effects. It is vital that supplements taken to reduce enlargement
of the prostate don’t cause the enzyme 5 alpha reductase to fl uctuate.
The problem is that nutritional supplements that are good at reducing
prostate enlargement also tend to either raise or lower the level of this
enzyme. This can have dire health consequences.
Studies show that 5 alpha reductase levels can be lowered by taking
saw palmetto, zinc, and especially the essential fatty acid alpha lino-
lenic acid (ALA). All three of these supplements increase the risk of
prostate cancer. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer
Institute found that men in the highest quartile of ALA intake had four
times the risk of prostate cancer compared to those in the lowest
quartile.^6
Some nutritional supplements can have the opposite effect and raise
the level of 5 alpha reductase. Raising levels of 5 alpha reductase exces-
sively, like lowering them, can cause the prostate cells to mutate and
become malignant.
There are two health products that can normalize 5 alpha reductase
enzyme levels, thus doing away with the risk of prostate cancer. They
are vitamin C and green tea. A colleague of mine had his prostate
removed followed by a series of chemotherapy treatments. His doctors,
pessimistic about his complete recovery because the cancer had spread
to his lymph nodes, told him if he remained cancer-free for fi ve years
he could consider himself cured. He began drinking one cup of organic