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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Prostate enlargement also known as benign
prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects as many as 40 per cent of
older men. The main symptoms are having to get up frequently at
night to urinate, a weak urinary stream, incomplete emptying of
the bladder, more frequent urination often in a stop-start manner,
and difficulty in postponing urination. In North America the
problem is often dealt with by surgery (transurethral resection).
Now researchers at the Harvard Medical School report that physical
activity significantly reduces the risk of developing BPH. Their
study, which began in 1986, involved over 30,000 male health
professionals. By 1994 almost 9000 of the men had experienced BPH
symptoms, 1890 had undergone surgery, 1853 had high/moderate to
severe symptoms, and 5146 men reported symptoms that were
classified as low/moderate. The remaining 21,745 men had no
symptoms. A survey of the men's degree of physical activity and
their leisure habits concluded that men who walked two to three
hours every week had a 25 per cent lower risk of developing BPH
than did men who only walked 1.5 hours per week or less. Men with
a greater degree of moderate physical activity had an even lower
risk. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle was found to increase the
risk of BPH. Men who watched TV for 41 hours/week or more had
twice the risk of developing BPH than did men who watched for five
hours/week or less. The benefits of physical activity applied
both to men who had undergone prostate surgery and to men who had
not had surgery.
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