**7. Conclusion**

In addition to the genetic factors, environmental factors such as physical inactivity and excessive intake of dietary fat contribute to the increased incidence of lipid-disorders and obesity worldwide. These factors directly as well as indirectly promote the prostatic growth and contractility of the prostate gland, and represent important risk factors for the development of symptomatic LUTS / BPH (Fig. 2). ATX-LPA axis, PPARγ signaling, hyperinsulinemia/IGF signaling and steroidal signaling are the emerging mechanisms which explains the association between dietary fat intake, obesity and BPH. However, further mechanistic as well as epidemiology based studies are required to delineate the role of lipids in the pathogenesis of BPH. Future research to investigate the direct effect of different types of FAs on the prostatic growth and isoforms specific characterization of insulin and IGF-IR signaling in response to dietary habit is warranted.
