Heart diet, even alcohol, helps prostate

SEATTLE, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A heart-healthy diet, and even moderate alcohol intake, may help decrease the risk of prostate problems, U.S. research found.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found a high-fat diet increased the risk of benign enlargement of the prostate or symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, known as BPH, by 31 percent and daily consumption of red meat increased the risk of BPH by 38 percent.

"We don't really know how it's working but it's pretty clear that eating a high amount of fat -- and it doesn't appear to matter what kind fat -- increases the risk of BPH," study author Alan Kristal of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said in a statement.

Low-fat food is not the only heart smart diet dictum that benefits the prostate, the researchers found. The risk of BPH was reduced 32 percent by eating four or more servings of vegetables daily and 15 percent by making 20 percent of the daily calorie intake lean protein.

The study assessed diets, supplement use and alcohol consumption of 4,770 BPH symptom-free men for seven years during which time 876 developed BPH symptoms. The study also found moderate alcohol intake -- another heart smart idea -- reduced the risk of BPH by 38 percent.