Hello. After being diagnosed with a benign enlarged Prostate, I am due for my second six-monthly PSA blood test check shortly and I have realised that 12 hours before the test I will be drinking 2 pints of beer. Will the PSA figure be lowered or heightened due to the effects of alcohol or will there be no effect at all?
Thanks.
It should have no effect at all. 🍻
Most studies have shown no impact from alcohol consumption.
The ProtecT trial did notice an impact from long-term use of alcohol, both regular daily and weekly binge drinking. This lowered PSA levels, lowered the risk of being diagnosed with low risk disease, but increased the risk of being diagnosed with high risk disease. It suggested PSA thresholds should perhaps be lowered for consumers of large amounts of alcohol. Alcohol consumption and PSA-detected prostate cancer risk—A case-control nested in the ProtecT study
No tests have been done for immediate alcohol consumption on PSA. Many charity PSA tests are done at events with alcohol available, and this hasn't been identified as a cause for inaccurate results as far as I know.
Edited by member 10 Feb 2025 at 10:16 | Reason: Not specified
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11506468/
A UK-based study investigated the relationship between self-reported alcohol intake and PSA levels among 2400 men with PCa and 12,700 age-matched controls. The results indicated that heavy drinking, defined as consuming at least five drinks per day/week, was associated with lower PSA levels, which could hinder early PCa detection. Interestingly, despite the reduced PSA levels, these heavy drinkers showed a slightly higher risk of developing aggressive forms of PCa
I wonder if that why my PSA was low but I had Gleason 9. 😁
war the knights
What an amazing topic
Edited by member 06 Mar 2026 at 02:39 | Reason: Not specified
Same here...PSA 13.5, Gleason 8 advanced. I like a good drink and didn't stop all the way through chemo, the regular blood tests all came back as normal. Whilst not condoing it, I'd go as far to say for me having a drink makes living with the disease easier for me and my family.
👍👍
Hi Apix
One thing that can raise the PSA is if you have sex the day or a few days before. To get a sensible reading, if you do have a partner, it's best to refrain for about 2 days before.
All the best 👍
Click through to become a member and gain access to support, information and real time replies.