An ounce of cashews provides 32 milligrams of beta-sitosterol. Eating cashews or taking a beta-sitosterol supplement may also help reduce cholesterol. An enlarged prostate is linked to high cholesterol, according to a 2011 review in Differentiation. Just like the liver, the prostate metabolizes cholesterol, and cholesterol can deposit in the prostate as men age. Men with an enlarged prostate are also more likely to have low HDL cholesterol levels and high triglycerides.
Men with an enlarged prostate can turn to the beta-sitosterol in cashews to ease their lower urinary tract symptoms, according to a 2023 review in the American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Urology. The research indicates that taking 20 milligrams of beta-sitosterol three times a day for six months eased some of the urinary symptoms in male study participants with BPH. Beta-sitosterol can also be found in saw palmetto supplements, which could have upwards of 300 milligrams of the chemical. Studies comparing the effects of saw palmetto extract with the BPH drug Tamsulosin (Flomax) have shown similar relief of BPH symptoms.