How to Lower PSA Naturally: A Surgeon's Honest Guide

"How can I get my PSA down?" I hear this question all the time, and I asked it myself before my prostate cancer was diagnosed. I spent more than 40 years as a general and trauma surgeon, and I want to give you an honest answer, starting with a warning that matters more than any tip.

This is education, not medical advice. Talk with your physician about your PSA before making changes.

First, the Warning

PSA is a signal, not the disease. If your PSA is high or rising, the goal is to find out why, not to push the number down and hope. Lowering PSA without an evaluation can hide a cancer that needs attention. Please do not use anything in this article to delay a recheck, an MRI, or a biopsy your doctor recommends.

Make Sure the Test Is Accurate

Before anything else, avoid things that temporarily raise PSA in the 48 hours before your blood draw:

• Ejaculation
• Long bike rides or very hard exercise
• A prostate exam or urinary procedure

A urinary infection can also raise it. Sometimes a "high" PSA is simply a poorly timed test.

Lifestyle Changes With Some Evidence

• Move every day. Exercise supports prostate and metabolic health; see exercise and prostate cancer survival.
• Lose excess weight and improve insulin sensitivity.
• Eat plant-forward. In a well-known study by Dr. Dean Ornish, men with early prostate cancer on an intensive lifestyle program saw small PSA decreases while the control group's rose.
• Cut sugar and processed food. I describe my approach in prostate cancer diet.
• Add cooked tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, and green tea.

Be realistic: these changes usually move PSA modestly, if at all. Their bigger value is for your overall health.

Supplements: Proceed With Caution

Pomegranate, lycopene, and other supplements are popular, but controlled trials have been mixed. Some, like high-dose vitamin E, were linked to harm. Medications such as finasteride lower PSA by about half, which your doctor must account for when reading results. Review everything with your physician.

The Bottom Line

Live in a way that is good for your prostate and your whole body, time your tests properly, and track your PSA over time with your doctor. Do not chase the number. Understand it. Our PSA level chart by age is a good next read.

References

• Ornish D, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes may affect the progression of prostate cancer. J Urol. 2005;174(3):1065-1069.
• Paller CJ, et al. A randomized phase II study of pomegranate extract for men with rising PSA. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2013;16(1):50-55.
• Klein EA, et al. Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: SELECT. JAMA. 2011;306(14):1549-1556.

Sunrise Institute is based in Florida and serves clients nationally through physician-led education sessions.