| donkrous@aa.netwrote: |
| I've seen some information about Beta Sitosterol and prostate health recently that seems a bit exaggerated. Does anyone know where I can find authoritative information about it? |
|
| From: jdimitrakov@my-deja.com |
| The jury is still out on beta sitosterol although there is a very recent
review claiming its beneficial effect in men with BPH. The majority of
published studies claim a beneficial effect in men with lower uribnary
tract symptoms but as with Saw Palmetto the problem is that there is a
difference in the reported data because of the use of different formula
of beta-sitosterol and different content in the product studied. I have
attached some recent abstracts and hope you find those useful. |
| Best regards,
Jordan Dimitrakov, MD |
|
| Title:
|
| Beta-sitosterol for the treatment of
benign prostatic hyperplasia:
[In
Process Citation] |
| Authors:
|
| Wilt TJ; MacDonald R; Ishani A |
| Author Affiliation::
|
| The VA Coordinating Center of the
Cochrane Collaborative Review
Group in Prostatic Diseases and Urologic
Malignancies, and the VISN
13/Minneapolis VA - Center for Chronic
Diseases Outcomes Research,
Minneapolis, USA. |
| Source:
|
| BJU Int 1999 Jun;83(9):976-83
[MEDLINE record in process]
CITATION IDS:
PMID: 10368239 UI: 99296788 |
| Abstract:
|
| OBJECTIVES:
To conduct a systematic
review of the evidence for the
efficacy of beta-sitosterol in men with
symptomatic benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH). |
| METHODS
: Studies were
identified through
Medlinetrade mark (1966-98), EMBASEtrade
mark, Phytodok, the
Cochrane Library, bibliographies of
identified trials and review articles,
and contact with study authors and
pharmaceutical companies.
Randomized trials were included if: men
had symptomatic BPH; plant
extract preparations contained
beta-sitosterols; a control group received
placebo or a pharmacological therapy;
and treatment duration was >/=30
days. Study characteristics, demographic
information, enrolment criteria
and outcomes were extracted. |
| RESULTS:
Four trials comprising a total of
519 men met the inclusion criteria. All
were double-blind and lasted 4-26
weeks. Three studies used nonglucosidic
beta-sitosterols and one used a
preparation that contained only
beta-sitosterol-beta-d- glucoside.
Compared with placebo, beta-sitosterol
improved urinary symptom scores
and flow measures. For the two studies
reporting the International
Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the
weighted mean difference (WMD)
against placebo was -4.9 IPSS points
(95% confidence interval, CI,-6.3
to-3.5). The WMD for peak urinary flow
rate was 3.91 mL/s (95% CI 0.91
to 6.90, four studies) and for residual
volume the WMD was -28.62 mL
(95% CI-41.42 to-15.83, four studies).
beta- sitosterol did not reduce
prostate size. The trial using pure
beta- sitosterol-beta-d-glucoside
(WA184) showed no improvement in urinary
flow measures. Withdrawal
rates for men assigned to
beta-sitosterol and placebo were 7.8% and
8.0% (not significant), respectively. |
| CONCLUSION:
beta-sitosterol
improves urological symptoms and flow
measures. However, the existing
studies are limited by short treatment
duration and lack of standardized
beta-sitosterol preparations. Their
long-term effectiveness, safety and
ability to prevent the complications of
BPH are unknown. |
|
| Title:
|
| Saw palmetto extracts potently and
noncompetitively inhibit human
alpha1-adrenoceptors in vitro. |
| Authors:
|
| Goepel M; Hecker U; Krege S; Rubben H;
Michel MC |
| Author Affiliation::
|
| Department of Urology, University of
Essen, Germany.mark.goepel@uni- essen.de |
| Source:
|
| Prostate 1999 Feb 15;38(3):208-15
CITATION IDS:
PMID: 10068345 UI: 99140317 |
| Abstract:
|
| BACKGROUND:
We wanted to test whether
phytotherapeutic agents
used in the treatment of lower urinary
tract symptoms have
alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonistic
properties in vitro. |
| METHODS:
Preparations of beta- sitosterol and
extracts of stinging nettle, medicinal
pumpkin, and saw palmetto were obtained
from several pharmaceutical
companies. They were tested for their
ability to inhibit [3H]tamsulosin
binding to human prostatic
alpha1-adrenoceptors and [3H]prazosin
binding to cloned human alpha1A- and
alpha1B-adrenoceptors. Inhibition
of phenylephrine- stimulated
[3H]inositol phosphate formation by cloned
receptors was also investigated. |
| RESULTS:
Up to the highest
concentration which could be tested,
preparations of beta-sitosterol,
stinging nettle, and medicinal pumpkin
were without consistent inhibitory
effect in all assays. In contrast, all
tested saw palmetto extracts inhibited
radioligand binding to human
alpha1-adrenoceptors and agonist-induced
[3H]inositol phosphate formation.
Saturation binding experiments in the
presence of a single saw palmetto
extract concentration indicated a
noncompetitive antagonism. The
relationship between active
concentrations in vitro and recommended
therapeutic doses for the saw
palmetto extracts was slightly lower
than that for several chemically
defined alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists. |
| CONCLUSIONS:
Saw palmetto
extracts have
alpha1-adrenoceptor-inhibitory properties. If bioavailability
and other pharmacokinetic properties of
these ingredients are similar to
those of the chemically defined alpha1-
adrenoceptor antagonists,
alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonism might be
involved in the therapeutic
effects of these extracts in patients
with lower urinary tract symptoms
suggestive of benign prostatic
obstruction. |
|
| Title:
|
| Clinical effects of beta-sitosterol
(phytosterol) on benign prostatic
hyperplasia: preliminary study |
| Authors:
|
| Kobayashi Y; Sugaya Y; Tokue A |
| Author Affiliation::
|
| Department of Urology, Jichi Medical
School. |
| Source:
|
| Hinyokika Kiyo 1998 Dec;44(12):865-8
CITATION IDS:
PMID: 10028431 UI: 99152785 |
| Abstract:
|
| Phytosterol derived from plants has long
been used for the medical
treatment of benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH) in Europe but not in
Japan. The efficacy of phytosterol was
evaluated in patients with
manifestations of urinary outlet
obstruction caused by BPH. Phytosterol
containing 180 mg of sitosterol per day
was given to 12 patients with BPH
in two or three divided doses for three
months. The symptoms were
assessed monthly using the International
Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS)
and quality-of-life (QOL) score while
the objective findings including the
urinary flow, prostatic volume, and
residual urine volume were assessed
after three months of treatment of BPH.
The IPSS and QOL scores
showed significant improvement (p <
0.05), and the peak flow rate and
residual urine volume showed slight but
not significant improvement. |
|
| From:rklein42@aol.com(RKlein 42) |
| The only reference I could find is in the well respected Journal,Lancet, which
is available at most medical libraries. |
| Beta sitosterol is known to reduce
cholesterol, enhance T cell activity and to be symptomatically helpful in
treating BPH, along with other plant phytosterols such as stigmasterol and
campesterol. The purified lipid-soluble extract of the saw palmetto plant's
berry contains the active agent, β-sitosterol, which has been shown to have
5alpha-reductase-inhibitory activity in vitro (in the test tube). |
| Clinical
studies have not confirmed that β-sitosterol lowers DHT and PSA levels, which
would be expected to occur if this were indeed its mechanism of action.
Nevertheless, a randomized, double-blind trial in patients with BPH showed a
significant improvement in lower tract urinary symptoms in β-sitosterol
recipients as compared with placebo recipients. |
| Here is the reference: Berges
RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomised, placebo-controlled,
double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign
prostatic hyperplasia. Lancet 1995;345:1529§32. |
| I tried it and it worked about the same for me (mild help) as did saw palmetto.
It is supposedly more potent than saw palmetto since it is the purified major
active ingredient of saw palmetto. I bought mine from Beachwood Canyon,
Naturally as "Neo Prostate Beta 300" (300 mg of beta sitosterol and 15 mg zinc
citrate). 323 962-7370 or 888 803-5333 |
