Can eating certain foods worsen or improve BPH symptoms?

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    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    The relationship between diet and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms is unclear, but certain foods like those in the Mediterranean diet (as well as vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and legumes) may lower the risk of BPH, whereas high red meat consumption may increase it. However, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials to definitively determine how specific foods affect prostate growth or BPH symptoms.

    The impact of dietary patterns on BPH is inconclusive, but the intake of certain foods has been proposed to contribute to a reduction in the risk of BPH and other prostate-related disorders. The Mediterranean diet seems to be associated with a lower risk of BPH, as does the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and legumes. On the other hand, a high intake of red meat and low vegetable and protein consumption have been linked to an increased risk of BPH.[1]

    It should be noted that while these dietary patterns have been associated with BPH, there are a lack of randomized controlled trials looking at how the intake of specific foods affects prostate growth or BPH symptoms.

    Can eating certain foods worsen or improve BPH symptoms? - Examine