San Francisco Group Performs 1-Year Clinical Trial
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The study results will come as a disappointment to the two million American men believed to be using saw palmetto products to self-medicate for 'prostate trouble.' Furthermore, the trial may have little impact on men who prefer an alternative-medicine approach to treatment. In fact, the American Botanical Council (ABC), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible use of herbal products, has issued a press release stating, "Our primary concern with this trial is the relatively advanced condition of the prostate problems in many of the men who were tested.." Full text of the ABC press release is available here. Authors of the study point out a fundamental quandary with any herbal product: "The level of active ingredient in the extract (saw palmetto, in this case) may not have been sufficient to produce a measurable effect. We cannot completely address this possibility, because the active ingredient in saw palmetto, if one exists, is not known." ![]() In an accompanying editorial, DiPaola and Morton state that a limitation of the study is that one specific preparation of saw palmetto was tested, leaving open the possibility that another product may have yielded different results. The Wall Street Journal devoted considerable space to the NEJM article.
a. Poster judged "Best in Class" at 2001 AUA |