Beer and Your Prostate

I've been asked many times about the relationship of beer and alcohol to prostate problems.

A lot of regular alcohol consumption will cause you prostate problems for sure. But, it will also cause you heart, liver and possibly pancreatic problems as well.

Alcohol metabolizes the same way as sugar does. The main difference is that alcohol requires a lot more nutrients to metabolize. So, an excess amount of alcohol will do you in about four times faster than sugar. Excess alcohol depletes your body of necessary nutrients.

Alcohol in moderation is OK for a healthy person. There may even be some benefit. But if you're already having prostate problems, you will probably do best if you abstain from alcoholic beverages for a while. I would especially stay away from beer until the prostate problems clear up.

Beer has it's own unique problems for the prostate. The primary one being yeast. Another is Hops (a primary ingredient) which can also irritate your prostate.

True, there is a chemical naturally ocurring in hops called Xanthohumol

which is reported to be anti-carcinogenic. But, you would need to drink 17 (yes seventeen!) 12oz. glassfuls in one day to get an adequate amount. So, don't use that as an excuse for drinking yourself into oblivion!

Now, all alcohol is produced by yeast fermentation. Wine has sufficient alcohol content to kill the yeast. In fact, wine only reaches an alcohol volume of about 12% because that is where the yeast that is creating the alcohol is killed.

Hard alcohol (vodka, whiskey, cognac, tequila...) is distilled. So the heat kills any yeast residue.

In Beer, however, the alcohol content rarely exceeds 6%, so there is often live yeast left behind. Even if it is clear and filtered. In fact there probably is yeast in your brew unless it was pasteurized. Ironically, the cheap commercial ones are mostly pasteurized. The high quality ones never are.

When you drink this yeast, it can remain live in the bloodstream and it can thrive and multiply in the prostate gland and cause chronic prostatitis. It is normally very easy to kill this yeast off with the use of Silver Water for about 2 weeks.

Some men never really seem to be affected by this yeast. Others can start to suffer days after only a couple good beers.

If you suffer from prostatitis, this live yeast may make you miserable. The resulting prostatitis could also cause a beer enlarged prostate. This type of enlarged prostate is different from BPH in that it will subside once the prostatitis is remedied. BPH is harder to reverse.

This yeast also can be growing in the acini (little sacks) inside the prostate gland. If it is contained in there and not "shedding" (being released into the bloodstream) it will not show up in the tests from your Urologist.

So, you have all the discomfort of prostatitis and your Urologist will do all the bacterial tests and tell you everything is OK. That can be truly bewildering. Especially when the pain is intense.

However, 7 out of 8 cases of prostatitis test negative anyway . Meaning, you're in pain and discomfort, but the lab test say there is nothing wrong.

So, if you enjoy a regular good brew, and you suffer from prostatitis, prostate pain, or irritation, it could very well be the yeast residue in your brew that is causing your problems.

I personally love an occasional quality beer or two. Or, three. And sometimes it comes back to bite me in the behind! When it does, I drink my silver water each day for about 2 weeks, do some prostate massage, and that always clears it up for me.

Be Well.....

William