Zinc is a mineral that you may have heard discussed in relation to certain prostate conditions. According to a 2020 study in Frontiers in Oncology, zinc deficiency was associated with an increased risk of benign prostate enlargement. You will find as much as 7.75 milligrams of zinc in just 100 grams of sesame seeds, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Three tablespoons (30 grams) of sesame seeds (unhulled) contain up to 21% of your recommended daily intake, and the hulled version contains 18%, per Healthline.
According to Dr. Robert Ashley, internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (via Chicago Sun Times), zinc is important for a variety of human physiological functions, and although you can find the mineral in the liver, kidney, muscle, and retina, “the content of zinc in the prostate is about 100 times that found in the bloodstream.” However, although zinc is thought to mess with the generation of the hormone linked with prostate enlargement (dihydrotestosterone), preserve prostate tissue structure, and even assist in killing off infectious bacteria, there is a need for more research when it comes to showing causation between low zinc levels and the prevalence of BPH.
Prostate cancer, on the other hand, is a different story. “Multiple lab studies have shown that zinc can inhibit prostate cancer growth by hindering the function of prostate cancer cells and by turning on mechanisms that lead to the death of prostate cancer cells,” explained the expert. High zinc levels were associated with a protective role against prostate cancer, per a 2024 review.