Bicycling Does Not Raise PSA

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A study from the University Hospital in Essen, Germany shows that riding a bicycle does not raise blood levels of PSA, the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer.

Several studies suggest that ordinary bicycle seats can cause impotence which can become permanent with continued pressure on the nerves that control erection. Men who become impotent from riding bicycles almost always suffer severe discomfort when they ride. Seats that do not have noses usually do not press on the superficial pudendal nerves, and do not cause numbness in the pelvic area and therefore do not cause impotence.

In this study, levels of PSA did not rise after men completed a 13-mile bicycle course. Having elevated PSA levels does not necessarily mean that a man has prostate cancer because PSA blood test are raised more frequently by other factors such as having a prostate exam, infection and ejaculation.

Urology 2003;61:1177-1180

Checked 1/19/12