Prostate Cancer Prevention - What You Can Do
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with an estimated
220,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. Though
it usually grows slowly, prostate cancer can be deadly. About 29,000
Americans die of prostate cancer annually. Measures that you take to
lower your risk of prostate cancer could be beneficial. Learn more
about the research trends, promising preventive agents and what you
can do to reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
Prevention
Through Dietary Changes: Whole Foods
Whether it's cauliflower or cranberries, eating more fruits and
vegetables may play a role in preventing many forms of cancer. These
foods not only provide vitamins, minerals and fiber but also
contribute to low-fat, low-calorie meals.
Eating excessive calories
and fat, especially fatty meats and other foods derived from animal
sources, may actually increase your risk of prostate cancer.
According to one theory, fat increases the production of
testosterone, which in turn stimulates the growth of prostate cancer
cells. It’s still uncertain, however, whether the possible
relationship between a high-fat diet and the development of cancer
is due to the total amount of fat in your diet or to a specific type
of fat, such as saturated fat. It's also difficult to distinguish
between the effect of fat and the effect of total calories. High-fat
foods tend to be higher in calories, which further complicates the
analysis. Until some of these questions are answered, aim to eat
less fat and keep your calorie intake under control.
In addition to a low-fat
diet, certain plant-based foods may help prevent prostate cancer.
You don't have to eat these foods every day, but it may be a good
idea to work them into your diet on a regular basis.
|
Tomatoes |
Tomatoes and
tomato products contain lycopene, an antioxidant that gives
tomatoes their red color. Antioxidants are substances that
protect your cells from the damaging effects of toxic molecules
called free radicals.
Eating
tomato products or other lycopene-rich foods, such as watermelon
and pink grapefruit, may lower your risk of prostate cancer.
Lycopene is most abundant in cooked tomato products, such as
tomato soup and spaghetti sauce. Uncooked tomatoes have smaller
amounts of lycopene.
Lycopene
supplements, such as those you might find in a drugstore, don't
provide the same benefits as lycopene derived from whole foods. |
|
Soy
|
Soy
products—such as soymilk, soy flour, soy nuts, tofu and tempeh—contain
isoflavones, plant-based compounds that may reduce your risk of
prostate cancer. Isoflavones appear to stimulate your body's
binding proteins (globulins) that keep the sex hormone
testosterone in check. Bound testosterone exerts less hormonal
effects.
Because
prostate cancer cells grow more rapidly in a testosterone-rich
environment, researchers theorize that the less testosterone
available, the lower your risk of cancer development and
progression. |
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Garlic
|
A member of
the same family as onions, leeks and scallions, garlic appears
to reduce the risk of many types of cancer, including prostate
cancer. It's thought that sulfur compounds in garlic enhance
immune function, which helps combat tumor growth. These
compounds may also slow the spread of cancer cells and increase
the production of enzymes that help eliminate cancer-causing
substances. |
|
Green Tea
|
Made from
tea leaves dried and fragmented soon after harvesting, green tea
contains a natural substance called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
This compound appears to inhibit enzyme activity necessary for
cancer growth, but large-scale studies haven't evaluated this
theory. |
Potential Cancer
Fighters: Antioxidants
Researchers are studying the role of many vitamins and minerals—such
as vitamins C, E, and the minerals selenium and zinc—on prostate
cancer risk. These vitamins and minerals are antioxidants,
substances that slow down oxidation—a natural process that can
damage cells. Antioxidants may reduce your risk of prostate cancer
by protecting cells from cancer-causing substances.
Food is the best source of vitamins and minerals. Fruits,
vegetables, whole grains and legumes provide a wide variety of
nutrients—known and unknown—that may protect your body against
disease.
Here are several
antioxidants and their food sources:
|
Antioxidant |
Food Source |
|
Beta
Carotene
|
Carrots,
broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, red bell peppers and
cantaloupe |
|
Vitamin C
|
Red and
green bell peppers, broccoli, guava, cauliflower, strawberries,
papayas, oranges and grapefruit |
|
Vitamin E
|
Seeds, nuts,
wheat germ, fortified cereals, spinach and tomato products |
|
Selenium
|
Brazil
nuts, seafood, wheat germ, whole-wheat bread, bran, oats and
brown rice |
|
Zinc
|
Meat,
seafood, poultry and whole grains |
Maintain Your
Prostate Health
Cancer prevention doesn't rely on one single food. Rather, it's the
culmination of a healthy lifestyle: eating a healthy diet based on a
variety of foods, taking time to exercise and seeing your doctor
regularly. These steps can help you maintain your prostate
health—and your health in general.
|
1
Eat Well
|
A healthy
diet includes plenty of plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables
and whole grains. Plant foods contain beneficial vitamins,
minerals, fibers and possible cancer-protective compounds (phytochemicals).
By emphasizing plant foods in your diet, you limit fat and
increase consumption of these healthy compounds. |
|
2
Keep Physically Active
|
Exercise can
strengthen your immune system, improve circulation, and speed
digestion—all of which may play a role in cancer prevention.
Exercise also helps prevent obesity, another potential risk
factor for prostate cancer. |
|
3
See Your Doctor Regularly
|
An annual
prostate checkup can't reduce your risk of cancer, as perhaps a
healthy diet and exercise can. But having regular checkups is
crucial to staying healthy. |
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