Macronutrients, fatty acids, cholesterol, and risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
OBJECTIVE
To better understand the role of specific macronutrients on the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), we used data from an Italian case-control study. Although BPH is extremely common among the elderly, its etiology-and, particularly, the role of diet and specific macronutrients-is still unclear.


METHODS
A case-control study of 1369 patients with BPH and 1451 controls, admitted to the same hospitals for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, was conducted in Italy. The subjects' usual diet was investigated through a validated and reproducible food frequency questionnaire. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained after allowance for energy intake and other potential confounding factors.


RESULTS
A significant direct relation was observed between starch intake (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.99 for highest quintile compared with lowest one), and an inverse relation was observed for polyunsaturated fatty acids (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.93), linoleic acid (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.94), and linolenic acid (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.93).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest a role for specific macronutrients in the risk of BPH, including, in particular, an unfavorable effect for starch and a beneficial one for polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Bravi
Francesca
F
Laboratorio di Epidemiologia, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy. bravi@marionegri.it
Bosetti
Cristina
C
Dal Maso
Luigino
L
Talamini
Renato
R
Montella
Maurizio
M
Negri
Eva
E
Ramazzotti
Valerio
V
Franceschi
Silvia
S
La Vecchia
Carlo
C
D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004032:Diet; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids