Alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were evaluated in relation to dev elopment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) among 29,386 members of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Men who were 40-75 years old in 1986 and free of prior BPH surgery, diagnosed cancer at baseline, and prostate c ancer at baseline and during follow-up were followed for incidence of BPH s urgery from 1986 to 1994, Cases were men who reported BPH surgery between 1 986 and 1994 (n = 1,813) or who scored greater than or equal to 15 points o f 35 on seven lower urinary tract symptom questions modified from the Ameri can Urological Association symptom index in 1992 and 1994 (n = 1,786); nonc ases were men who scored less than or equal to 7 points (n = 20,840), After controlling for age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, physical activity, a nd mutually for alcohol intake and smoking, moderate alcohol consumption wa s inversely related with total BPH (30.1-50 g/day vs. 0: odds ratio (OR) = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.70; p trend < 0.0001), although t he relation was attenuated at high intake (greater than or equal to 50.1 g/ day vs. 0: OR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.57-0.90). Current cigarette smoking was posi tively related to total BPH only among those who smoked 35 or more cigarett es/day (compared with never smokers: OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.97), These fi ndings suggest that moderate alcohol consumption and avoidance of smoking m ay benefit BPH.