It is one of the most recognisable expressions around: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But besides this rhyme, experts have found bitter kola to be a close contender for protection against many diseases, including benign prostate enlargement.
Researchers, in a new study, said bitter kola because of its kolaviron content can protect against inflammation and oxidative stress reported to play a role in the development of benign prostate enlargement, also medically referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
They had investigated the effect of kolaviron on induced BPH in rats. They reported that it caused a reversal in the proliferation of the cells of the prostate and significantly decreased prostate weight, prostate index, and levels of hormones and other substances in the body that account for an enlarged prostate gland.
The prostate index is an FDA-approved blood test used to aid in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign prostatic conditions. It assesses the severity of the symptoms of BPH.
The prostate is part of the male reproductive system and its main job is to make fluid for semen. It is about the size of a walnut, and it sits below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It goes around a tube called the urethra. The urethra carries urine from the bladder and out through the penis.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is when the prostate and surrounding tissue expand. It is the most common benign tumour found in men. It produces symptoms by blocking the flow of urine from the bladder through the urethra. Symptoms related to BPH are present in about one in four men by age 55 and in half of 75-year-old men.
Men who are at a higher risk include men over the age of 50, men whose fathers have BPH, men who are overweight or obese, men who don’t stay active, and men with erectile dysfunction.
Surgery was the only option until the recent approval of minimally invasive procedures that open the prostatic urethra and drugs that can relieve symptoms either by shrinking the prostate or by relaxing the prostate muscle tissue that narrows the urethra.
However, drug side effects such as dizziness, headache, erectile dysfunction and loss of libido have limited these treatments. Therefore, alternative treatments involving natural products with little or no toxicity that are available, accessible and potent in combating BPH are highly warranted.
This study, which said that bitter kola can disrupt the processes that underline the abnormal growth of the gland, leading to benign prostate enlargement in rats, under laboratory conditions, was published in the journal, Inflammopharmacology.