Prostate Health Essentials
– Saw Palmetto, 5LX and Beyond
By Taryn Forrelli, ND & New Chapter Health Writers
 Prostate
health may not be something that men openly talk about, but it is
certainly something they need to pay attention to, especially if they
are over the age of forty. It is then that physiologic factors such as
hormone imbalance, inflammation, and oxidative stress can begin to
affect the size of the prostate as well as the integrity of its cellular
DNA. Fortunately, scientific evidence suggests that herbal
therapeutics and supplemental nutrients, especially those that work to
support hormone balance, promote a healthy inflammation response, and
modulate oxidative stress are incredibly valuable for supporting and
maintaining prostate health.
Creating Hormone Balance - Saw Palmetto & Stinging
Nettle
Saw Palmetto is the most researched, effective
herb for prostate health. As a result, there are quite a few Saw
Palmetto-based supplements available. However, at
New Chapter we
supercritically extract ours for maximum purity and then combine it
with two Stinging Nettle extracts. Why? New Chapter’s two Stinging
Nettle extracts provide the fullest spectrum of phytonutrients to
promote a healthy inflammation response and support healthy prostate
function. You’ll find each of these, abundant and pure and working
together, in
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX.
The single most researched and valuable herb for
nourishing the prostate is one that has been used for more than a
century to support the health of the urinary tract, saw palmetto.
A review of eighteen clinical trials showed that a daily dose of 320 mg
of saw palmetto extract can improve urinary flow in men while reducing
frequency in 90% of patients within 4 to 6 weeks. One of the principle
mechanisms by which saw palmetto supports prostate health is through
inhibition of the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT),
a powerful growth stimulant for prostate cells. Saw palmetto has also
been shown to inhibit the binding of DHT to prostate tissue and relax
the muscles of the prostate and bladder so that urine can flow more
freely. The hormone balancing effects of saw palmetto can be improved by
combining it with herbs that share a similar mechanism of action, such
as stinging nettle root and pumpkin seed oil.
Interestingly, one study found that saw palmetto also
displays 5LX-modulatory activity, but only when the full spectrum of the
herb’s naturally occurring phytonutrients were extracted using
supercritical carbon dioxide. Fractionated saw palmetto extract, created
using harsh chemical solvents, showed no effect when tested.
The Inflammation Connection
There is emerging scientific evidence that the
inflammatory response can affect the growth of prostate cells.
Inflammation, particularly the kind generated by activation of an
inflammatory enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase (5LX), is thought to affect
cellular DNA, disrupting the mechanisms responsible for maintaining
normal cell growth and replication. The modulation of 5LX is therefore a
key strategy for maintaining prostate health.
Modulating 5LX Naturally
Ginger - If you conduct a simple search of the
phytochemical and ethno botanical database compiled by Dr. Jim Duke of
the Agricultural Research Service/USDA for plants that modulate 5LX,
you’ll discover something rather sweet. The herbs and spices that
have long been considered a chef’s best friend are also man’s best
friend. According to the USDA and major university phytochemical
databases, Ginger is one of nature’s richest herbal sources of 5-LO
modulators, which contains twenty-two 5LX-modulating phytonutrients.
This is just one of the reasons why it’s one of the key supercritical
extracts in
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX, which promotes healthy prostate function
and normal urine flow.
Rosemary is another notable source, with
eighteen 5LX-modulating phytonutrients documented, in addition to its
numerous anti-aging constituents.. You’ll find this incredible herb in
several New Chapter products, and it works together with other natural
5-LO modulators in
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX to help promote healthy prostate function
and normal urine flow.
Selenium - A Most Impressive Prostate- Protective
Nutrient
No prostate health program is complete without
selenium. A seven-year double-blind, placebo-controlled study funded by
the NIH and American Cancer Institute found that subjects taking a
whole-food selenium supplement maintained normal prostate cell growth
more effectively than those not taking the supplement.
What makes selenium so protective? The body uses
selenium to make glutathione, one of its strongest antioxidant defenses
against oxidative free radicals – atoms which are missing an
electron and will do anything to find one, including stealing them from
healthy cell membranes and cellular DNA. When electrons are stolen from
healthy cells, the cells start to malfunction. Antioxidants are defined
by their ability to freely donate electrons without becoming damaged, so
as long there are antioxidants around, electron stealing does not need
to occur and cells remain healthy. Selenium is a trace nutrient critical
to tissue detoxification and long term prostate health.
Green Tea
Among teas, the green and white varieties are known to
contain the highest concentration of health-promoting antioxidants.
According to the USDA and a major university phytochemical database,
this botanical offers a broad range of prostate-supportive
phytonutrients. That’s why it’s an important ingredient in
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX. We choose only the world’s finest
organic green tea leaves, then extract them at the perfect temperature
to ensure maximum delivery of tea's protective benefits. You’ll also
find the power of green tea in
New Chapter’s Green & White Tea -- one serving equals up to 5 cups
of the world’s finest organic green and white tea.
Lycopene & Pomegranate
A diet rich in natural antioxidant food nutrients has
been shown to scavenge free radicals in the body, which is why New
Chapter offers several antioxidant-rich supplements to support prostate
health. The most important of these may be
New Chapter’s LycoPom. Just one capsule equals the essential
antioxidative constituents of 100 gm of tomatoes and over 13
pomegranates.
Pumpkin Seed Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
These oils have numerous prostate health benefits and
multiple 5-LX modulators. You’ll find extra virgin olive oil in many of
our formulations, and this oil’s natural compounds make it a key
supercritical extract in
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX.
New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX Formula
All of the essentials for supporting and maintaining
prostate health can be found in one innovative dietary supplement made
by
New Chapter called
Prostate 5LX. Expertly formulated by Master Herbalist, Paul
Schulick,
Prostate 5LX delivers
supercritical extracts of saw palmetto, ginger, and rosemary along
with whole-food complexed selenium and solvent-free extracts of green
tea and pumpkin seed oil. The result: safe, effective relief from
urinary complaints and the assurance that while a man may forget to
remember the importance of a healthy prostate, it is not forgotten.
Prostate Health Resources:
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