Saw Palmetto Likely a Waste of Money

Many men take Saw Palmetto as a supplement they believe will improve Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, such as dysuria, stranguria, incomplete emptying, or urge incontinence often due to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Dr. Michael Barry and his associates performed a placebo-controlled randomized trial at 11 sites over two years. A total of 369 men over the age of 45 were studied. The men suffered LUTS with a AUA symptom score of 8 to 24, with 35 being the worst possible score. Every man had a urinary flow rate in the normal range, so frank obstruction wasn’t present. Each received either 320mg/day of saw palmetto extract or placebo. At 24 weeks the dose was doubled, and at 48 weeks the dose was tripled. The study ended at 72 weeks total, and results were tabulated with repeat questionnaires at 24, 48 and 72 weeks.

The study showed that the symptom score dropped 2.99 points in the placebo group and 2.20 points in the saw palmetto group. This clearly shows that the use of saw palmetto for LUTS offers absolutely no benefit at all. Based on this and similar studies, there is no reason to buy or use saw palmetto to treat LUTS symptoms.

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