There are a ton of reviews for prostate supplements. If you're confused, it's understandable. We found them confusing, too. The fact is, there are some winners and some "not winners."
Let's cut through the noise.
Products covered in this review:
- VigRX Prostate Support (Editor's choice: overall best, and best value.)
- Prostate Plus (Best value if you're in the UK. We tell you why.)
- PX7 Primal Flow (Good. Although, you get more of the same for the money with VigRX.)
- Vitalflow (Again, good, same as PX7. But more value with VigRX.)
- SBP Advanced (quite good, but we believe it's missing some things.)
- Prostagenix (pretty good, works for some. But don't be fooled by the infomercial.)
- Prostate Defense (not bad, but you get what you pay for...)
Article overview, at a glance
So which supplement is the best?
The short answer is "VigRX Prostate Support." But you should know why we say it is the best.
According to the best data from the studies we've sifted through, it ticks all the right boxes. Plus, it is probably the best value for the dollar of any of these products we've seen online.
But in some circumstances, you might want to opt for a different choice. You might have other things to consider such as cost, availability, allergies to certain ingredients (like soy) or other things.
Also, is, "which is the very best" the only thing to consider?
Do you need "the best?" Or do you just need a reasonably good product, and can save some money by not worrying about getting "the best?"
And are there other things you should be aware of, such as: why are some more expensive than others? Is it always about "you get what you pay for?" Or is it sometimes that some just plain offer better value than others?
Perhaps you should first ask yourself why you're looking at a prostate support supplement.
Why you might need a prostate supplement.
Do you remember when you were young, and you never woke up in the night to urinate? Do even remember what it was like to go without pain, without hesitation, without dribbling when you were done?
Do you remember when you didn't have to plan road trips around which routes give you the most reliable bathroom break intervals?
And there's somewhere else we need to go. Do you know how much a healthy prostate is essential to good sex?
Points to consider when evaluating prostate support formulas
As with most things, you usually get what you pay for with these formulas.
There are some differences between the prices of TV brands and off the shelf brands from the drug store. But with good reason.
Sometimes it's not just the ingredients, but the formulations of the ingredients that make a difference.
For instance, if you take a calcium or magnesium supplement, there are different formulations of the calcium and magnesium. Calcium citrate is a lot easier for your body to absorb that calcium than the (cheaper) calcium carbonate, for instance.
The better prostate supplements often have a whole lot more of the good formulations in them than the cheap ones do.
Some of the drugstore stuff on the shelf has much smaller amounts of the key ingredients.
Now, people might be prone to buy it because it's cheap.
But you'd probably be able to take twice as much of the cheap stuff as it recommends on the bottle and it might STILL NOT WORK FOR YOU.
Because the cheaper stuff is not the same quantity/quality, you might have to take 3 times the recommended daily dose to get the same effect you would get from the more expensive ones.
Some things we consider when evaluating "the best." Because what is important is, "what is the best for YOU?"
When evaluating these different brands, we looked at the main ingredients. We wanted to make sure they had good quantities of the main essential ingredients.
But we also noted when we found something that could be problematic for some people: for instance, is there soy? Some people have concerns about allergies. If we see it, we make note.
We also realize you might be budget conscious. So there may be brands that, while not the best, might scratch the itch better than nothing.
We also make note if we find there are issues with a product: tablets that are difficult to swallow, for instance.
We also make note of the overall cost when evaluating. This is why, for instance, we note that Prostate Plus is a good choice for the UK. Is it the best? We still think VigRX Prostate Support is better overall. But Prostate Plus is still pretty darn good, and if you're in the UK, the shipping costs will be lower because it ships from the UK.
We want to give you some things to think about here. And some things to consider besides just what is on the ingredients list.
Don't misunderstand. The ingredients are "what it's all about." We've done charts here out the wazoo, looking for the best value and what is most effective.
But being realistic, it's important to consider your budget, your current state of health, your age and other factors.
Also, be aware of what's in these things, as some of them have soy, for instance.
And some of them are easier to swallow than others. For instance, there is a plant sterol complex called "Mega Strength Beta Sitosterol" which has a lot of the plant sterols you need for the buck. And they're CHEAP. About $15 USD for 120 tablets. But they're hard to swallow.
Personally, I think you're a lot better off with the "New Roots" brand of sterol tablets. They're in gelcap form so they're easier to swallow. About $35 USD for 120 capsules. But gelcaps slide down easier than pressed tablets. If you've got the extra bucks, well worth it.
But let's take a look, now, at the ingredients lists.
If you look closely, you'll see there are some general similarities across all the different brands.
As you look more closely, you'll see patterns of what is grouped together with other ingredients.
- some brands load up on the sterols (think "Super Beta Prostate" and "Primegenix")
- some (of the cheaper ones) have herbs
- some (the best ones) have a blend of some sterols but other stuff to match
Based on the best research (in places like the studies at the National Institutes of Health) the studies all consistently point to this important conclusion:
Beta Sitosterol matters. But it is NOT the only ingredient that matters.
Prostagenix does a slick infomercial. Their whole approach is based on the theory that beta-sitosterol is the only ingredient that really works for prostate issues.
But, based on the research found on the NIH website, it seems the NIH has come to different a conclusion about beta sitosterol being "the only thing that matters."
It's consistent in every research paper listed on the site.
The common theme in the studies is this: beta sitosterol is NOT "the only thing that matters."
So what does all this mean? It means the sales pitch in Larry King's informercial may have oversimplified the situation a bit, and missed some important points.
Time for a chart.
This is a comparison between Prostagenix (the big TV brand) and VigRX Prostate Support (which is the brand that, so far, seems to be the best in my comparisons).
What do we see in the chart?
Beta sitosterol is important. But what else is just as important in these formulas?
There are a number of reviews on this site. If you look at any of the reviews (such as this one) you will see that:
- beta sitosterol helps relieve symptoms of enlarged prostate. But it does NOT do anything to reduce prostate SIZE.
- Pumpkin seed extract, Pygeum tree bark and Saw Palmetto also reduce symptoms just as well as the beta sitosterol does.
- Stinging Nettle helps reduce prostate symptoms, too.
- In the NIH data, Stinging Nettle worked even better when combined with beta sitosterol.
- In addition, the Stinging Nettle actually helps reduce the growth of prostate cells and can actually contribute to reducing prostate size.
Beta sitosterol by itself does not do anything to reduce prostate size. But the stinging nettle does seem to do this. (You can read the details of the NIH study results in THIS REVIEW where I compare Prostagenix to my best recommendation.)
These are our best pics, starting with the best.
- VigRX Prostate Support (Editor's choice: best product, and best value.)
- Prostate Plus (Best value if you're in the UK. Click to see why.)
- PX7 Primal Flow (Good, but VigRX is same quality, but even more for the money.)
- Vitalflow (Again, good, but VigRX is same quality with better value for the money.)
- SBP Advanced (Not bad. But missing a couple things we think are helpful.)
- Prostagenix (Quite good, but missing a couple things. Don't be fooled by the infomercial.)
- Prostate Defense (It has some good things, but keep in mind it's a budget alternative.)
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Editor's Choice: Vig RX Prostate support.
Our #1 recommendation - best product and best value for the dollar.
VigRX Prostate Support is the one we recommend because it checks all the boxes, and does so with better value than anything else out there we have seen.
It just offers the best and the best value for the money, to boot.
If you want to see why, you could check these comparisons:
- VigRX Prostate Support is essentially the same formulation as PX7 Primal Flow but gives you half again as much as the PX7 for the same price.
- VigRX Prostate Support is the same as VitalFlow, but again, gives you 50% more of the good stuff each day for the same price.
- VigRX Prostate Support is better than Larry King's Prostagenix because it doesn't just treat symptoms; It actually has stuff in it that can help reduce prostate size.
The VigRX Prostate Support formula has a combination of beta Sitosterol and Stinging Nettle which, according to the NIH doesn't merely reduce symptoms of enlarged prostate. According to them, it can actually help reduce prostate SIZE.
Is it expensive?
VigRX Prostate Support maybe not cheap compared to the bargain brands you can pick up off the grocery store shelf.
But I found that the VigRX formula is a MUCH BETTER VALUE than pretty much any of its direct "online" competitors out there. And you'll see this if you read my other reviews.
I found this stuff to definitely be worth the extra money for me compared to anything I tried off the drugstore shelf. And its about the same price or less than the Prostagenix type formulas.
AND IT WORKS.
It changed my sleep (with less trips to the bathroom at night). Therefore, my energy through the day. Reduced my trips to the bathroom through the day, too. Reduced urgency.
At the risk of sounding a little over the top, it gave me my life back. All around worth what you pay to get the stuff, in my opinion.
And it comes with a 67-day money-back guarantee. So you have nothing to lose in trying it.
And if you're on the fence about it..... drop in your email for my offer to you about VigRX.
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VitaBalance "Prostate Plus"
Our #1 recommendation if you're in the UK.
This is an interesting formula. It ticks the important boxes. It doesn't have quite as much of the plant sterols as the formula we've rated as best. But it does have some.
And it's got saw palmetto and the stinging nettle (which we've highlighted out of the NIH studies.
In addition to that, it has a "mushroom complex" (which is in some of the others, too). These mushrooms do have their own good properties for prostate health.
Another thing going for this one is that it has quercetin in it. Some studies have shown that quercetin is beneficial in helping against prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate, which is a slightly different but sometimes related issue to BPH).
Honestly, it would be good to see a little more quercetin in some of the other formulas. This one checks that box.
So why is this our #1 recommendation for the UK?
In a word, "shipping." Because part of the cost of the product is the cost of shipping it to your door.
If you're in the UK, and you're looking at value for the money, this stuff ships out of the UK. So if you're in that part of the world, and you still need a quality product, this one is probably the best choice for "bang for the buck."
And even though it has a mix a little different than what the studies seem to show as "the best," it's still very good.
We actually wish all the products had the amount of quercetin that this one does.
PX7 Primal Flow
Great formulation. (Just remember, you can get more of the same stuff for the dollar with the VigRX.)
This isn't a bad formula. In fact, based on the critical components that seem to get the most positive feedback on the NIH website, it does tick all the boxes.
It has beta sitosterol and other plant sterols; stinging nettle, pumpkin seed, saw palmetto and pygeum bark. If you got this one, you wouldn't do bad.
But quite honestly, if you look at this article about the comparison of this one to our best recommendation, you just don't get as much for your money as you do with our top-rated formula, VigRX Prostate Support.
They match ingredient for ingredient, but you get an additional 50% more of pretty much every ingredient if you just go with the VigRX Prostate Support instead. The VigRX is just a better way to go.
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Vitalflow Brand
Great formulation. (Just remember, you can get more of the same stuff for the dollar with the VigRX.)
This isn't a bad formula, either. In fact, it actually looks like an identical clone of the PX7 Primal flow. If you look at this comparison and chart, you'll see they are exactly the same thing.
Like the PX7, it has beta sitosterol and other plant sterols; stinging nettle, pumpkin seed, saw palmetto and pygeum bark. It's good stuff.
It's just that, like the PX7 Pro, you're paying half again as much compared to buying the VigRX Prostate Support. The VigRX just gives better value for the dollar.
Click on this link for the VitalFlow and this link for the VigRX Prostate Support. Compare the prices for yourself and see. If you're thinking PX7 or Vitalflow, just go with the VigRX and get more for your bucks.
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Super Beta Prostate's SBP Advanced
Not a bad formulation. (We just don't know what is in the "proprietary blend.") Amd could use a couple other things in the mix.
One of the reasons we can't speak directly to this one is that it lists a "proprietary ingredient" called "Prostafend." And "proprietary blends" are subject to question.
Proprietary blends aren't necessarily a problem, per se. The issue with a proprietary blend is that you don't know how much of what parts of the mix are in what proportions.
Now, if you can trust the company that makes the products, it's probably not a big deal.
But in the case with SBP Advanced, they say there are three ingredients in that proprietary blend, but we'll be confounded to try to figure out what they are - either from the packaging or from the ad copy on the site.
So what, exactly, is in this 'Prostafend" blend of ingredients? If you figure that out, please contact us and let us know.
So, if you want to look at the testimonials on Amazon and elsewhere, it might work for you. But our recommendation is that you might want to try one of the other brands first: probably the Prostagenix, or, more to our conclusions from the review, the VigRX Prostate Support.
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Prostagenix
Quite good. Some good reviews. But the slick infomercial may mislead about the importance of other ingredients that are missing in this one.
The problem I have with Prostagenix is that they offer a slick infomercial that seems to jump past a lot of facts.
The Prostagenix informercial spends a lot of time promoting the idea that beta sitosterol is the only thing that really matters.
They take shots at the ingredients in a lot of the other products as if they do nothing. And it's measured on the one yardstick of "how much beta sitosterol" is in there?
The problem is that the data from the studies flat out contradicts their conclusions about the pumpkin seed, the stinging nettle, the pygeum bark and the saw palmetto.
Now, keep in mind they have a lot of testimonials. So there's that.
But I have to say that the formula in the PX7, Vitalflow and VigRX worked for me when the "beta sitosterol only" concept in Prostagenix did not.
But it might be worth a try. Just don't get too drawn in by the power of the informercial. Keep the studies in mind.
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Prostate Defense
A cheaper formula, but might work alright if you're not in really bad shape yet.
This stuff has some of the key ingredients. But it has very little of the plant sterols (about 50 mg compared to 450 mg in the VigRX Prostate Support).
That might not be a bad thing in and of itself. But it seems to be lacking in other ingredients, too. For the price, it might not be bad. And it's a cheaper alternative.
So if budget is a concern, and you want to see if it works for you, Give it a try. And please, let us know how it works (or doesn't work) for you.
One advantage is that it is gelcap, so easy to swallow.
But be aware that it has soy, and it's omega-3 components come from anchovy and sardines. If there are allergic concerns, it's good to decide accordingly.
And although it appears as an economical choice, it doesn't really save that much compared to the VigRX (listed below). But it might work for you.
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