NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
A new study concludes that saw palmetto, a plant extract sold as a natural boost to urinary health, actually doesn't improve symptoms of enlarged prostate in middle-aged men.
While saw palmetto's usefulness has been in doubt for a while, Bent added, the new research "very definitively" shows that it doesn't ease the urinary trouble caused by an enlarged prostate.
Dr. Michael Barry of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said that the findings don't mean that nobody should take the plant extract -- even if its only benefit may come from men believing it will help.
"It appears there were essentially no side effects, and that some men improved," he said. "I wouldn't object to men giving it a try to see how it worked for them."
