As men age, the risk of prostate cancer increases significantly. According to Cancer Research UK, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, affecting one in eight men. American Cancer Society. More than half of prostate cancer diagnoses occur in men over the age of 65.
While you can’t control the risk factors of age, a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular exercise can improve your overall health (try these three foods to help prevent prostate cancer). Some men may also choose to take prostate supplements, such as milk thistle, to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. PhD. Justin HomanA top urologist and leading urological surgeon in Los Angeles tells Health Digest There is not enough evidence that milk thistle prevents prostate cancer.
"While some laboratory studies suggest that silymarin may have anticancer properties, we do not have strong clinical data to support its use as a preventive measure in humans," Homan said. However, that doesn’t mean milk thistle can’t help men with prostate cancer. Horman says promising research suggests milk thistle could supplement prostate cancer treatment.
Milk thistle may help with prostate cancer treatment
For more than two centuries, people have used the fruits and seeds of the milk thistle plant to treat liver disease (according to National Cancer Institute). Its powerful ingredient is silymarin, which Homan says has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Milk thistle may make chemotherapy more effective and reduce its side effects.
"Simply put, it may help protect healthy cells from damage during chemotherapy, while potentially making cancer cells more susceptible to treatment," Homan said. "It is also thought to potentially slow the growth and spread of cancer cells. However, the exact mechanism is not fully understood and is still under investigation."
Milk thistle may also support prostate health in men with prostate cancer, according to one study 2022 review In Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. Since high cholesterol is linked to the progression of prostate cancer, taking silymarin for six months after prostate surgery may lower cholesterol. Men are often screened for prostate cancer with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, where high PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer. Daily silymarin supplementation for six months has been shown to reduce PSA levels.
Milk thistle benefits and side effects
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved this herb to treat any cancer, milk thistle may have some health benefits. As an ancient liver remedy, milk thistle may reduce free radical damage in the liver. The antioxidant properties of silymarin may also protect your brain cells from oxidative stress, thereby preventing cognitive decline, although milk thistle’s neuroprotective effects have not been tested in humans (according to Healthline).
Houman said Milk thistle is generally safe, but it may interact with some medications you are taking. Specifically, Drug Network Says that if you are already taking simeprevir to treat hepatitis C, milk thistle can increase the levels of simeprevir in your system, which may increase side effects. Milk thistle can also interact with deferiprone, indinavir, and raloxifene.
Taking milk thistle alone may cause minor side effects, such as gastrointestinal problems, especially in people with liver disease. "As with any supplement, patients should always consult with their healthcare provider before incorporating milk thistle into their treatment regimen, especially if they are undergoing cancer treatment," says Homan.
If you want to keep your prostate healthy, Homan recommends that his patients eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking and follow prostate cancer screening guidelines. "While we continue to study potential complementary therapies such as milk thistle, they should not replace standard medical care for prostate cancer prevention or treatment," he said.