Effect of Dietary Patterns on Testosterone-Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most serious urinary system disorders in elderly men worldwide. It is characterized by prostate enlargement and bladder outlet obstruction and several symptoms clinically referred to as lower urinary tract symptoms. Reported risk factors include advancing age, circulatory androgens, and genetics. Nevertheless, the role of Dietary patterns in the development of this condition remains largely unresolved. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of consumption of high fat from beef and pork source, high table sugar and high salt on Effect of Dietary Patterns on testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia in a rat model. Method : Thirty (30) male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats weighing 200 - 250g were randomly assigned to the pork fat, beef fat, high sugar (HSu), and high salt (HS) groups. After establishing the minimum threshold amount of testosterone above which significant prostate enlargement occurred, 50µg, all experimental groups were administered with the minimum testosterone in addition to the various dietary treatments for four weeks. Positive and negative control groups were administered with 100µg and 50µg testosterone respectively, in addition to a standard rat diet for four weeks. After the 28 days, the final weights of animals were recorded, animals sacrificed, blood samples taken for serum PSA determination, prostates and seminal vesicles isolated, weighed, prostate weight index (PI) determined, and prostate tissues processed for histopathological analysis. Mean ± SD values were calculated for each group and compared for significant difference using ANOVA followed by post hoc test (Dunn's Multiple Comparison Test) at p  < 0.05. Results: Compared to the negative control, the mean serum PSA levels and PI of the high-fat and HSu groups were significantly higher, but they did not differ from those of the positive control. Although the mean PSA of the HS group was significantly higher compared to the negative control, the mean PI did not differ from the negative control. Conclusion: Collectively, our findings indicate that consumption of high-fat from red meat and high sugar diets enhance the effects of low testosterone to induce prostate enlargement in a rat model.