Saw palmetto extracts have no effect on prostate conditions

No effect of saw palmetto extract on prostate hyperplasia

30/09/2011

The US National Institute of Health has carried out a study into the effect of saw palmetto extract on benign prostate hyperplasia (prostate hyperplasia), the result of which is published in the current issue of the journal „Journal of the American Medical Association“ (JAMA) were published. According to the US scientists, the extract from the saw palmetto fruit (Serenoa repens) has no effect in prostate hyperplasia that goes beyond the placebo effect.

In the National Institutes of Health study, 369 volunteer men over the age of 45, suffering from benign prostate enlargement with urinary bladder discomfort, were treated with saw palmetto extract or placebo for 18 months treated. Patients suffering from urinary problems, as in the case of the study participants, are referred to as benign prostate syndrome (BPS). For the treatment of BPS herbal medicines (phytotherapeutics) are used, especially in naturopathy, but partly also in conventional medicine, especially the combination of nettle roots and saw palmetto extract a positive effect against prostate hyperplasia is said.

No relief of the symptoms of benign prostate syndrome
Contrary to the previous assumption that Saw Palmetto Extract can slow or even stop the spread of prostate enlargement and alleviate the typical symptoms of BPS, such as frequent urination, weakened urinary stream and dripping, the American researchers in their current study have found no significant effect of saw palmetto Extract for prostatic hyperplasia. During the 18-month study, the saw palmetto extract dose was increased by 320 milligrams every six months - from 320 milligrams to 640 milligrams at six months, to 960 milligrams at 12 months. But even the triple standard dose has caused in the current study, only a slight improvement in BPS symptoms, report the US scientists in the journal „JAMA“. To assess the severity of BPS, the scientists used the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI), which shows the severity of the symptoms on a scale of 0 to 35. The AUASI takes into account the typical BPS symptoms such as residual urgency, frequent urination, urinary symptoms, urinary stream attenuation and dribbling. The lower the value on the 36-step scale of the AUASI, the lower the complaints of the BPS patients.

Effect lower than placebo drugs
After 18 months of study, US researchers found an average reduction in AUASI from 14.42 to 12.22 in patients treated with saw palmetto extract. Thus, no more effective effect was found in the verum group than in the control group. The study participants, who received a placebo preparation, even showed a clearer effect than the subjects from the verum group, with an average decrease in the AUASI value from 14.69 to 11.70, according to the US scientists. Side effects did not occur with the use of saw palmetto extract. Earlier studies had already compared the effect of a combination therapy of saw palmetto and nettle root extract with the effect of synthetic drugs, for example, the preparation „Finasteride“ showed only a two percent higher effect than herbal medicines. Thus, the current study of the National Institute of Health suggests that some synthetic drugs show no much greater effect on the benign prostate syndrome than placebo drugs, but significantly more common side effects are expected. (Fp)

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