Drinks to Avoid With Enlarged Prostate

Every day, hundreds of thousands of males suffer from Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. Men with one or more of the following factors are more likely to develop BPH:

• Age 40 years and older
• Family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia
• Medical conditions such as obesity, heart, and circulatory disease, and type 2 diabetes
• Lack of physical exercise
• Erectile dysfunction

The following symptoms could indicate an enlarged prostate:

• urinary frequency or urination of eight or more times a day
• urinary urgency or the inability to delay urination
• trouble starting a urine stream
• a weak or an interrupted urine stream
• dribbling at the end of urination
• nocturia or frequent urination during periods of sleep
• urinary retention
• urinary incontinence or the accidental loss of urine
• pain after ejaculation or during urination
• urine that has an unusual color or smell

A lot of the beverages that we’re going to talk about in this article have been shown to either worsen the symptoms of an enlarged prostate or increase the risk of getting prostate cancer. So, it’s best to avoid the following beverages.

The first category of beverages to avoid when you have an enlarged prostate is alcohol.

Alcohol acts as a diuretic. It increases urination or the frequency of urination by inhibiting the release of the antidiuretic hormone also known as vasopressin. It’s therefore best to avoid alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, spirits, and other beverages that contain alcohol.

The second type of drink that you should avoid when you have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as tea and soda pop. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic, which increases the frequency and volume of urination, which can exacerbate the symptoms of an enlarged prostate or BPH.

Another category of beverage to avoid if you have an enlarged prostate is dairy products. High consumption of dairy products through their alteration in intestinal bacterial populations can lead to an increased risk of prostate cancer. So, it’s best to reduce your consumption of dairy beverages such as dairy milk, cream, and milkshakes.

The last category of drinks to avoid includes carbonated beverages. This is because carbonated drinks can cause bladder irritation, resulting in exacerbated urinary symptoms like increased urinary frequency, urgent urination, and urination at night, also known as nocturia. So it’s best to stay away from or at least limit the consumption of carbonated beverages such as club soda, soda pop, and other sparkling drinks.