Challenging the Inevitability of Prostate Enlargement: Low Levels of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Among Tsimane Forager-Horticulturalists.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Often considered an inevitable part of male aging, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common non-life threatening disease to affect men in Western populations. We examine age-related change in prostate size and BPH risk and related serum biomarkers among the Tsimane Amerindians of the Bolivian Amazon who live a traditional lifestyle of hunting and small-scale horticulture. The Tsimane are a critical case study for understanding the etiology of BPH as they have low levels of obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as lower levels of testosterone than age matched U.S. males, factors associated with BPH in previous research.

Methods

Ultrasounds were conducted on 348 men aged 28-89 years (median age 56 years). Testosterone, prostate specific antigen, sex h

SUBMITTER: Trumble BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4851713 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature