If you are over 50 and sudden bladder urges throughout the night are depriving you of sleep, the underlying cause is probably not that extra glass of water you had too close to bedtime. An enlarged prostate is likely to blame.
For men in their 20s and 30s, the prostate is typically the size of a walnut. However, starting in the early 40s, this tiny reproductive organ begins to grow, often reaching the size of a lemon or even a grapefruit by age 60. As it expands, the gland presses against the bladder wall, causing frequent urinary urges and the sensation of a constantly full bladder. In addition, because the prostate surrounds the urethra, it restricts the flow of urine as it enlarges, resulting in a weak, dribbling stream and even issues in the romantic department.
While an enlarged prostate is a natural consequence of aging, free radical damage caused by environmental and dietary factors can accelerate prostate growth. However, a diet rich in antioxidants and a well-rounded supplement can help reduce frequent urination and protect against BPH issues as you grow older.
How Can You Tell a Good Prostate Supplement from a Bad One?
Recent studies have indicated that more than half of men over age 50 and 80% of men over age 70 suffer from an enlarged prostate. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that public demand for prostate supplements is growing rapidly.
And yet, not all supplements are created equal. The fast-growing market for prostate support products has lured many companies to release ineffective supplements containing filler ingredients with little or no proof of efficacy. That's why our staff decided to review all the most popular prostate formulas today and evaluate them for safety and effectiveness. We will show you what to look for, what to avoid, and which products we determined to be the best.
In our analysis, we noticed a number of companies making exaggerated claims about the level of relief their products can provide, not all of which are likely. What kind of results can you realistically expect from a prostate supplement?
When Will You See Results?
The ingredients in most prostate health products can provide some noticeable relief within 30 days. However, it may take additional time to establish an effective antioxidant defense against the free radicals which accelerate prostate growth and worsen urinary issues.
Research suggests that 3 months of daily use helps significantly increase the likelihood of lasting improvement. Here is a reasonable timeline to expect:
- Month 1: You may feel that you can more completely empty your bladder, allowing you to sleep longer through the night with fewer interruptions.
- Month 2: You may notice a stronger urine stream, resulting in less dribbling and straining each time you visit the bathroom.
- Month 3: Peak prostate support is reached. You may experience significantly fewer urinary urges both at night and during the day, better control over your bladder, and more confidence in the bedroom.
Tip: For best results, focus on consistency. Adding an effective prostate supplement to your daily routine for at least 3 months promotes exponential improvement, as each dose builds on the benefits of the last.
So, what characteristics distinguish top-tier prostate products from the rest of the pack?
The 5 Must-Have Ingredients for a Good Prostate Supplement
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Beta-Sitosterol
Beta-sitosterol is a plant-based compound with a wide range of anti-inflammatory effects, especially on the prostate. By neutralizing harmful free radicals which contribute to prostate enlargement, beta-sitosterol improves the flow of urine through the urethra and promotes more complete bladder emptying, allowing you to sleep through the night with fewer urinary urges.
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Saw Palmetto
Saw palmetto is a shrub-like palm tree whose berries are naturally rich in beta-sitosterol, as well as other plant sterols with powerful antioxidant properties. While beta-sitosterol is the most potent, the entire complex of plant sterols contained within saw palmetto work together to provide comprehensive support for an enlarged prostate and relief from frequent bladder urges.
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Stinging Nettle
The leaves and roots of the stinging nettle plant, like saw palmetto, contain a broad array of plant sterols that help protect the prostate against inflammatory free radicals. This flowering perennial also contains a collection of other beneficial compounds which help strengthen the urine stream and void the bladder, including agglutinins, lignans, and polysaccharides.
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Lycopene
A natural pigment that gives tomatoes their reddish hue, lycopene is an anti-inflammatory carotenoid compound which tends to accumulate naturally in prostate tissue. It has been shown not only to enhance the antioxidant response of normal prostate cells but also to help reduce prostate epithelial cell growth in both in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Pumpkin Seed
Pumpkin seeds combine the benefits of each of the ingredients above in one compact, antioxidant package. Rich in both plant sterols and carotenoids, pumpkin seeds help limit the growth of prostate cells while also increasing urine flow. In addition, they are a natural source of zinc, an anti-inflammatory mineral in which men with enlarged prostates are typically deficient.
Perhaps even more important, there are certain red flags to be wary of when evaluating a prostate supplement.
Warning Signs of Potential Scams
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Lack of Clinical Studies
Be wary of companies that cite the clinical efficacy of individual ingredients within a product rather than the effectiveness of the product as a whole. The highest indicator of quality in a supplement is the commission of a placebo-controlled clinical study for safety and effectiveness by an independent third party. You expect the same high standard of research and testing before trusting a medication, so why wouldn't you do the same before trusting a supplement?
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Filler Ingredients
There are very few natural ingredients for prostate relief that are both potent and safe for consumption. Other herbs and compounds that supposedly reduce urinary urges or improve bladder emptying have little clinical evidence to back their effectiveness. Watch out for supplements that include an extensive list of ingredients to create the illusion of comprehensive support. More is not necessarily better when it comes to your health. Some of the supplements we reviewed contained more than 10 unique ingredients!
Top 5 Prostate Supplements of 2024
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the top prostate support products available today, which provides a summary of our research and analysis:
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| Key Ingredients | |||||
| Beta-Sitosterol | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Saw Palmetto | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stinging Nettle | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lycopene | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Pumpkin Seed | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Proof of Efficacy | |||||
| Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| No Filler Ingredients | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Other Considerations | |||||
| No Artificial Additives | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Non-GMO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gluten-Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Made in a GMP-Certified Laboratory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Made in the USA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Below, we break down our rankings and feature detailed reviews of the 5 best prostate supplements we analyzed, beginning with our top pick.
Pros
- Clinically tested against placebo by independent third party
- 4 out of 5 study participants reported less frequent urges to urinate and more complete bladder emptying in 2 weeks*
- Contains all 5 must-have ingredients
- No fillers or artificial additives
- Vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
Cons
- Available online, but not currently sold in retail stores
The Bottom Line
We gave Prostacor by Nutreance our #1 ranking because it is the only prostate supplement that meets every one of our strict criteria.
Prostacor was clinically tested for safety and effectiveness over the course of 30 days in a placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted by Princeton Consumer Research. The study showed that people taking Prostacor experienced significantly fewer urinary urges and improved bladder emptying compared with placebo, allowing participants to sleep throughout the night without interruption. (Click here for the complete study results).
Prostacor contains all 5 of the ingredients we consider essential for optimal prostate support, including a phytosterol complex standardized to 40 to 45% beta-sitosterol, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, lycopene, and pumpkin seed. It is also produced in a GMP-certified laboratory in New York.
It is available on Amazon.com, but we found significantly better discounts on Nutreance's website. The company also offers other products to help protect your mind and body as you age, including a natural cognitive enhancer and a joint support supplement.
Overall, Prostacor is our top pick for prostate health in 2024.
Click here to visit the product website.
* Results may vary and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using this product. Please visit product website for more information.
Pros
- Contains 4 out of 5 must-have ingredients
- No artificial additives
- Vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
Cons
- No clinical study
- Does not contain pumpkin seed
- Contains some ingredients with limited proof of efficacy
The Bottom Line
Prostate Supreme by Designs for Health technically contains 4 of the essential ingredients that we look for in an effective prostate support supplement, including beta-sitosterol, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, and lycopene. However, it should be noted that the beta-sitosterol content is provided by stinging nettle extract rather than a separate phytosterol complex, limiting the total quantity of beta-sitosterol within the formula. Because pumpkin seed is not included, the product's efficacy primarily depends on just 3 antioxidants.
To compensate for this, Prostate Supreme contains L-glycine, L-alanine, and L-glutamic acid, 3 amino acids shown to benefit men with BPH-related urinary issues in a 1958 study. However, only 40 men participated, and subsequent clinical trials have failed to replicate these results. Also included is chrysin, which is suggested to reduce prostate growth by modulating hormone levels. Unfortunately, the research supporting this ingredient has focused on rodents so far.
The product has not been evaluated for safety and effectiveness in a placebo-controlled clinical study, which could justify the inclusion of amino acids and hormone stabilizers rather than additional antioxidants.
Click here to visit the product website.
* Results may vary and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using this product. Please visit product website for more information.
Pros
- Contains 4 out of 5 must-have ingredients
- No artificial additives
- Vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
Cons
- No clinical study
- Does not contain pumpkin seed
- Contains ingredients which use an outdated approach
The Bottom Line
Concentrated Ultra Prostagen by Metagenics includes 4 essential ingredients for a stronger stream: beta-sitosterol, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, and lycopene. While beta-sitosterol is not indicated on the label, the saw palmetto in the formula is standardized to yield 45% fatty acids and sterols, with beta-sitosterol providing the majority of that sterol content.
Like Prostate Supreme, Concentrated Ultra Prostagen includes the amino acid complex of L-glycine, L-alanine, and L-glutamic acid. As indicated previously, these 3 ingredients showed some benefit for the participants in a small-scale study. However, the medical community's clinical understanding of BPH, as well as statistical standards for efficacy, have changed dramatically since the trial took place in the 1950s.
Instead of pumpkin seed, a natural source of the anti-inflammatory mineral zinc, Metagenics opted to add zinc citrate to the formula. This overlooks the other compounds provided by pumpkin seed which support prostate health, including carotenoids and plant sterols.
Lastly, they have not tested the product for effectiveness in a clinical study.
Click here to visit the product website.
* Results may vary and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using this product. Please visit product website for more information.
4. Prostate FLO by Xymogen
Pros
- Contains 2 out of 5 must-have ingredients
- No artificial additives
- Vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
Cons
- No clinical study
- Does not contain stinging nettle, lycopene, or pumpkin seed
- Contains ingredients with questionable efficacy
The Bottom Line
Prostate FLO by Xymogen features 2 of the most essential ingredients for prostate support, beta-sitosterol and saw palmetto, plus 4 other compounds to help reduce bladder urges.
The formula prominently contains cranberry fruit solids, which are frequently taken for relief from urinary tract infections. While clinical trials have established their effectiveness for this purpose, there is little evidence they can reduce frequent urination caused by an enlarged prostate.
The product also features pygeum, the bark of the African cherry tree, which is rich in hormone stabilizing compounds and has been shown to improve urine flow in several studies. Upon further analysis, however, the most promising studies tested a combination therapy of pygeum and stinging nettle, while pygeum alone produced statistically insignificant results. Regrettably, Prostate FLO does not contain stinging nettle, nor does it include lycopene or pumpkin seed.
Perhaps most importantly, the product as a whole has not been tested by an independent, third-party clinical study.
Click here to visit the product website.
* Results may vary and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using this product. Please visit product website for more information.
Pros
- Contains 2 out of 5 must-have ingredients
- No artificial additives
- Vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
Cons
- No clinical study
- May contain beta-sitosterol but lacks a standardized source
- Does not contain beta-sitosterol, lycopene, or pumpkin seed
The Bottom Line
Prostatrol Forte by Ortho Molecular Products contains saw palmetto and stinging nettle, both crucial antioxidants to reduce frequent urges. The formula also features several minerals for prostate health, as well as pygeum. Unlike Prostate FLO, the bark extract is paired with stinging nettle in an attempt to replicate the efficacy seen in clinical trials of the combination therapy.
While Ortho Molecular Products has put some components in place for a promising supplement, they neglected to include a dedicated source of beta-sitosterol, which is the most essential ingredient for relief from frequent urination and incomplete bladder emptying. Typically, saw palmetto and stinging nettle contain beta-sitosterol. However, in this formula, neither is specifically standardized to provide this critical ingredient. Since beta-sitosterol content can vary widely by source, Prostatrol Forte cannot be relied upon to provide sufficient beta-sitosterol to benefit the prostate.
With lycopene and pumpkin seed also missing, a clinical study would go a long way to validate the formula's efficacy. Unfortunately, none have been conducted yet for this product.
Click here to visit the product website.
* Results may vary and do not necessarily reflect typical results of using this product. Please visit product website for more information.