Cranberry and saw palmetto

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qingwen
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Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:30 am
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by qingwen on Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:35 pm

Cranberry and saw palmetto

Are there any real health advantages to either of these-in terms of trips to the toilet and the 'urge to go'along with limiting benign prostate growth?

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Dr Jon Rees
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2011 3:07 pm
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by Dr Jon Rees on Fri Nov 04, 2016 12:02 am

Re: Cranberry and saw palmetto

Hi

cranberry - this has been mainly suggested as a treatment to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (cystitis) - however, the trials that have been done (and there have been lots!) have not shown a convincing benefit, and a large study that combined the results of all the previous research concluded that cranberry does not work - I have pretty much stopped recommending it.

Saw Palmetto is a herbal remedy for men with symptoms from benign prostate enlargement. Whilst it is widely used and advertised, the studies have again failed to show benefit - again a large analysis concluded it was no better than a placebo (dummy pill) 'even at double or triple the standard dose'. Some men swear by it, it seems to be perfectly safe - but I could not recommend it without better evidence that it works.

Hope that helps!
Dr Jon Rees
GP, Backwell & Nailsea Medical Group with specialist interest in Men’s Health and Urology

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