NSAIDs May Reduce Prostate Enlargement Risk – Mayo Clinic Study
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Executive Summary
Aspirin and non-aspirin NSAID use cut risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia in half, researchers say.
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Men who take NSAIDs have half the risk of developing an enlarged prostate compared to nonusers, a Mayo Clinic epidemiological study suggests. Risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia was 50% lower in users of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs than in non-users, according to epidemiologist and lead investigator Jenny St. Sauver, PhD. Use of aspirin and other NSAIDs also reduced the risk of moderate to severe urinary symptoms by 35%, the study finds. "The association between intake of NSAIDs and the reduction of benign prostatic hyperplasia is strengthened by the consistency and magnitude of our findings," St. Sauver says in an Aug. 29 Mayo Clinic release. The study involved 2,447 Caucasian men in Olmsted county, Minn. who completed biennial questionnaires from 1990 to 2002. Variations in NSAID type and dosage "did not seem to affect the reduction of urinary symptoms," the researchers note. "The majority of men studied - 80% - were taking aspirin, but those taking non-aspirin NSAIDs also experienced a risk reduction for benign prostatic hyperplasia and its urinary symptoms," the authors report. NSAIDs may reduce prostate growth directly or by increasing cell death in the prostate, or may reduce inflammation in the genitourinary tract, they speculate. The results need to be replicated in further research, the investigators say. "We would not recommend that every man go out and take aspirin, but if they are already taking it regularly for other reasons" the NSAID may provide an additional urinary health benefit, St. Sauver says. The results will be published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, according to the Mayo clinic. -Christopher Walker ([email protected]) [Editor's note: This story appears courtesy of the editorial staff of 1 'The Tan Sheet', your source for coverage of nonprescription pharmaceuticals and nutritionals. For a sample copy, call customer service at 800-332-2181.] |