Optimization of phosphorus ((31) P) MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of the human prostate at 7 T by the evaluation of T1 relaxation times and the Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE) of phosphorus-containing metabolites.Twelve patients with prostate cancer and one healthy volunteer were scanned on a 7 T whole-body system using a (31) P endorectal coil combined with an eight-channel (1) H body array coil. T1 relaxation times were measured using progressive saturation in a two-dimensional localization sequence. (31) P MRSI was performed twice: once without NOE and once with NOE using low-power continuous wave (1) H irradiation to determine NOE enhancements.T1 relaxation times of (31) P metabolites in the human prostate at 7 T varied between 3.0 and 8.3 s. Positive but variable NOE enhancements were measured for most metabolites. Remarkably, the (31) P MR spectra showed two peaks in chemical shift range of inorganic phosphate.Knowledge of T1 relaxation times and NOE enhancements enables protocol optimization for (31) P MRSI of the prostate at 7 T. With a strongly reduced (31) P flip angle (≤ 45°), a (31) P MRSI dataset with optimal signal-to-noise ratio per unit time can be obtained within 15 minutes. The NOE enhancement can improve fitting accuracy, but its variability requires further investigation. Magn Reson Med, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.