Prostate
The prostate is an organ that is part of the male reproductive system; more precisely, it is an exocrine gland which with its secretion participates in the composition of the seminal plasma, which is the sustenance substrate and vehicle of the spermatozoa.
The prostate is an organ rather susceptible to aging of the organism. Among the most common pathologies / disorders we mention: prostatitis (or various types of inflammation of the prostate), prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. Unlike the last two, prostatitis is NOT typical of aging.
Prostatitis: Classification
Prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland, can have different etiological causes; the most frequent are of INFECTIOUS origin and occur mainly in adults and the elderly, especially if they are catheterized.
The causes of infectious prostatitis are: sexual contagion (due to rising of pathogens from the urethra), reflux of infected urine (caused by concomitant pathological changes of the urethra, bladder or prostate itself), direct or lymphatic infection from the last intestinal tract (due to severe constipation or colic infections) and blood vehicle (originating from infections in other districts).
The non-infectious prostatitis is called abactical or prostatosis. The most common causes are: blood stagnation and the accumulation of secretion (due to congestion due to prolonged sexual stimulation without venting, coitus interrupted, long abstinence, etc.), repeated microtraumas (cycling), severe constipation and hemorrhoids. NB . Prostatoses also include forms of infectious prostatitis with unidentifiable bacterial load. Those secondary to severe constipation and / or hemorrhoids may contribute to the so-called "chronic pelvic pain syndrome".
A last form of inflammatory prostatitis is generally diagnosed randomly during other diagnostic tests and, since it does not appear to occur in any way, it is called "asymptomatic".
Prostatitis: acute and chronic
Acute pathogenic prostatitis is manifested by fever, generalized malaise, acute retention of urine, turbid urine, peri renal or lumbar pain, testicular pain and micturition disorders. The treatment, in the case of bacterial infection, consists mainly of the timely administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and possibly anti-inflammatory analgesics. A proper diet can be of great help.
Chronic prostatitis manifests itself in pain, often fever (but only in the case of infectious), a sense of heaviness in the kidney area, urethral pain, sometimes urination problems. Chronic prostatitis is more difficult to treat; if present, it is necessary to identify the pathogen responsible in order to identify a specific antibiotic. In the event that it is not possible to identify the specific pathogen (as in chronic pelvic pain syndrome), the symptoms, predisposing factors and any complications are reduced. Even in this case, but for different reasons, a correct diet can help or even resolve.
Prostatitis diet
The prostatitis diet can be a valuable contribution:
- Moderation of symptoms for acute infectious or chronic infectious forms
- To treatment for non-pathogenic secondary ones (linked to disorders of the bloodstream due to suffering of the rectum colon or to irritants of food origin).
First, let us remember that the diet for prostatitis is NORMALcalorica, or tends to maintain the physiological weight of the subject; if the person also suffers from overweight, the normocaloric diet for prostatitis "could" lead to a more or less significant reduction in adipose tissue.
Whether acute or chronic, infectious or non-pathogenic, the prostatitis diet is ALWAYS rich in liquids and essentially consists of light foods, easy to digest, little processed, with few fat ingredients of animal origin, and rich instead of lean products rich in water.
The diet for non-pathogenic prostatitis and secondary to other bowel disorders is AIMED at the resolution of the causative agent. In this case (especially in chronic pelvic pain syndrome), they become diets for prostatitis: the diet for irritable bowel syndrome, the diet for constipation and the diet against hemorrhoids.
These three types of diet are extremely similar, except in forms of irritable bowel that also show periods of diarrhea. These diets are therefore real nutritional therapies and have the objectives of:
- Minimize irritation of the colic mucosa
- Increase the frequency and ease of evacuations
- Prevent and possibly reduce the symptoms of hemorrhoids
All this is absolutely NECESSARY to combat the "potential" triggering factor of certain prostatitis, or the alteration of the circulatory flow due to the well-known haemorrhoidal disease. In fact, due to the swelling and inflammation of the hemorrhoidal vessels (hemorrhoids), the haematic stream badly floods the prostate gland, causing specific symptoms; moreover, the excessive expansion of the colon adjacent to the prostate, in addition to causing an unidentifiable pelvic pain, can cause a compression of the gland and cause further discomfort.
From a nutritional point of view, in order to combat colic irritation, constipation and hemorrhoids, the prostatitis diet aims to:
- Increase the intake of dietary fiber, possibly with "mass" laxatives
- Increase your water intake
- In some cases, increase the intake of lipids (better unsaturated)
NB . total fats should never exceed 30% of calories, to avoid the risk of fat deposits and digestive difficulties
- Reduce the nerves: alcohol, caffeine etc.
- Decrease diet slags: carbonized macronutrients during cooking
- Reduce irritants such as pepper, many spices or capsaicin
- Promote the development of physiological bacterial flora in the large intestine
In practice, as regards the choice of food, in the prostatitis diet it will be necessary:
- Drink at least 1.0 ml of water every 1.0 kcal taken with the diet
- Increase whole grains and legumes (the latter, even without peel)
- Above all increase the vegetables and also the fresh fruit
- Increase soupy recipes at the expense of dry ones
- Prefer cold-pressed oils and raw as a condiment
- Eliminate all alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea (especially black), chocolate and energy drinks
- Eliminate hot spices
- Eliminate all the intense and fast cooking systems, but do not use too much cooking; prefer boiling and steaming
- Eliminate smoking
- Practice regular physical activity.
In conclusion, the prostatitis diet varies according to the pathological cause of specific prostatitis and, if it is related to bowel disorders, the nutritional regime can also contribute to the resolution of the disorder.
