A prostate puzzler

SAW PALMETTO has been touted as an aid for hair loss, poor libido and male reproductive issues. Sex drive and hair may still be up for grabs, but new findings suggest the supplement won’t help men’s prostate problems.

A large study has found that the popular herbal supplement doesn’t help relieve the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous swelling of the prostate gland.

The study, reported in last week’s New England Journal of Medicine, enrolled 225 men older than 49 who had moderate to severe symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Participants were given either 160 milligrams of saw palmetto or a placebo twice a day for one year. Saw palmetto offered no improvement in symptoms, urinary flow or quality of life, the researchers found.

Dr. Stephen Bent, an assistant professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and the study’s lead investigator, said the findings raised questions about use of the herb. They were also surprising. “There was a large body of evidence suggesting it works,” he said. Another well-designed study should be conducted, he suggested.

An estimated 2.2 million men in this country take saw palmetto to treat prostate problems, but this study suggests they might be better off taking FDA-approved medications, Bent said. But, he added, those drugs can have side effects: About 5% to 10% of men taking 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors or alpha-blockers, for example, will experience dizziness or sexual dysfunction.