Prostate Cancer: Why Eating Well Is The Best Defense

No other human organ is as susceptible to cancer as the prostate. Each year, an estimated 209,900 American men are diagnosed with the disease, making it the most prevalent form of cancer in the United States. Although lung cancer claims more than twice as many men?s lives each year, prostate cancer is the second most lethal male cancer, killing 41,800 men annually.

In fact, the malady is so widespread that by age 65, nearly two out of three males may develop minute tumors producing in their ?prostates,? the walnut-size gland that is wrapped around the urethra, the tube that drains the bladder. And some doctors believe that if men lived long enough, every man would develop the disease.

Curiously, the vast majority of men who have the disease will never know it. That is because prostate cancer normally manifests a gradual growth of tumor, often taking 20 to 30 years to become large enough to be detected by any currently available tests or to bring about serious health problems.

By then, many older men who had these small tumors will have long since died of other origins such as heart disease and stroke.

According to some urologic oncology experts, many more men die with prostate cancer than from it. They contend that if they could just slow the growth of the tumor so that it takes 40 to 60 years to progress instead of 20 to 30, which would amount to a cure for many men.

Doctors suspect that dietary changes may help men stall the progress of disease and prevent it from becoming life threatening. Here are a few prostate protectors.

1. Go lean fat

Lowering your fat intake to 20% of your total calories, that is about 44 grams of fat if you eat 2,000 calories a day, is one of the best things that you can do to slash your risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

2. Turn away from red meat

Beef and other red meats are loaded with saturated fat, a type of fat linked to development of several cancers including prostate cancer.

In one study of 51, 000 American men, those who ate the most red meat were 2.6 times more likely to cultivate complex prostate cancer than men who avoided meat consumption.

3. Catch some fish

One reason why advanced prostate cancer is rare in china may be the quantity of fish in the diet. One study compared cancer rates of American men to men living in Shanghai, China, where people consume three times as much fish in their daily diet. The rate of prostate cancer for the American men was a dramatic 25.9 times higher than for the Chinese.

4. Discover the joy of soy

Health experts suggest that instead of meat, try substituting tofu, miso, and other soy foods in salads, casseroles, and soups.

Men in Japan eat many soy-based foods, benefiting from significantly high levels of genistein and genistin, two substances found in soy that may help clamp down on the disease.

5. Learn to like lycopene

A study at the Harvard School of Public Health tracked the eating habits of almost 50,000 health-care professionals for more than six years. The researchers concluded that lycopene, an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes their distinctive red color, helps fight cancer.

So now you know the preventive measures in order to avoid developing prostate cancer, it is best that you start employing these tips in order to have a healthier, cancer-free life.

As the old adage goes, you are what you eat. So eat healthy in order to be healthy.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides prostate cancer resources on http://www.all-prostate-cancer-resources.info.

Staying Active Helps Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Those men who stay active can significantly cut down on their risk getting prostate cancer. In fact the more aerobic the exercise the better; walking, hiking, swimming and bike riding were some of the examples given in a study by Harvard Medical School on ways to stay healthy and simultaneously reduce your risk of prostate cancer. Those who went to a gym twice to three times per week and used the treadmill did best, although even those who played golf three times a week reduced their risks as well.

Most all physical activity which included a form of cardiorespiratory workout seemed to work. These men were able to reduce their risks by 75%, a huge gap over those were the most inactive one-third of all males. The cut off seemed to be 20 minutes per day or an average of 20 minutes a day over a weeks period. Those who worked out three times a week for thirty minutes are more were amongst the lowest risk groups. Some life insurance questionnaires now ask these questions, when determining risk and that ought to tell you something as well. Not only is it good for your heart but your prostate as well.

There are two factors being looked at as to why this is? One thought was that since high testosterone levels were are part of high risk categories, that those who did physical activity reduced their risks because they were lowering their testosterone levels during cardio respiratory workouts. This tends to make a lot of sense.

It would be best to get screened for prostate cancer and continue your work outs or increase them to put you into the lower risk categories. Discuss this with your physician and do some of your own research to see what works best for you. Please be thinking on this, it could save your life.

Lance Winslow, a retired entrepreneur, adventurer, modern day philosopher and perpetual tourist.

Super Foods for Prostate Health

Prostate cancer is a very scary thought for most men. The idea that every single man, if unencumbered by other diseases, will in his lifetime eventually have either an enlarged prostate or suffer varying degrees of prostate cancer is no secret any more.

The difference now is, we've become a nutritionally advanced culture who has learned more and more about natural supplements and products that can help us achieve and maintain health much longer than we used to, as well as to eat the right foods that will make our organs function at peak levels well into late ages.

Prostate health is no different. There are foods that you can eat that will help keep your walnut-sized prostate gland functioning at peak performance, and in healthy condition for a longer time than if you had a nutritionally lacking diet.

The foods that a man can eat to support the health of your prostate actually have multiple health benefits in addition to prostate health. This is because they are mostly classed into a coined group of foods dubbed "super foods" for their healing and health promoting properties, as well as therapeutic uses.

What are these "super foods" for prostate health you ask? Well, the first one may be a bit surprising for a guy to hear, because this nutrient rich food is usually reserved for female health. It's soy.

The compound derived from the common soybean, which is so many time suggested as a benefit to women's health. Well, some research has shown that soy derived products can also support a man's prostate health as well. Soy is a common ingredient in vegetarian and vegan dishes.

It is used because it is so versatile, and easily absorbs the flavors of other foods, and can easily emulate these foods as well. Soy burgers, soy cheese, and other soy products that taste like meat and poultry have a lot of soy in them, but it's actually best when you get it in the form of the actual soybean or in tofu, because it is not so radically processed at this point.

You can also buy powdered soy genistein, which is actually the active chemical in soy products (not all though) that can be an excellent cancer thwarting agent.

Another good food for prostate health is fruit. This may seem like common sense, but there is a slightly more complex reason that fruits may be good for your prostate. Fruits contain a natural sugar in them which has been found to have a protective effect on the male prostate gland. There is another natural chemical compound in some fruits called lycopene, which has been shown to have very beneficial effects.

This natural nutritionally powerful compound gives fruits and veggies a deep red color, so the deeper the red, the more lycopene it is likely to have. Men who were studied and had diets high in fruits and vegetable rich in lycopene were also found to have less incidence of prostate cancer.

Saw palmetto, an herb that is fairly inexpensive to come by, has long been thought to provide great benefit to men with an enlarged prostate, and to help continue prostate health. Some have refuted this, but nonetheless there is some anecdotal proof out there that men may not want to bypass the likelihood this herb still has great benefit to overall male health, especially prostate health.

As far as foods to avoid to keep the prostate gland in good shape and functioning properly and efficiently, milk has been found to be a possible deterrent to maintaining the health of this important gland.

Perhaps just limiting the consumption of milk or dairy in general would be prudent, especially for men in their older age where every little bit might help. Another possibility would be to replace milk with a milk substitute such as soy milk (kill two birds with one stone).

As long as you maintain a quality diet with a variety of color, less red meats and more fruits and veggies, you can rest assured you are doing all you can to promote a long, healthy and complication free life for your prostate gland. Not only that, these foods will benefit other areas of your health as well, making it well worth your while to pay attention to what you put in your body.


Danna Schneider is the founder of Men's Health and Enhancement , an online magazine about innovations and news in mens health, and also contributes to Herbal and Alternative Health , where various supplements and alternative treatments can be found.

Prostate Health Exams - Protecting Prostate Health

As you begin to get older, many men begin to wonder about their prostate health. Prostate health is all over the news and media, and you may even know someone that has been diagnosed with prostate cancer over the past few years. If you are worried about your prostate health, or want to find out ways to help protect it, you have come to the right place. We will go over what this important gland does, and discuss the different options that you have in protecting your prostate health.

First, you must understand what the prostate actually is. It is a sexual gland, about the size of a walnut that is located around the base of the bladder and urethra. It essentially, hugs the tube that carries urine out of your body. This partially muscular, partially glandular organ produces a slightly alkaline substance that is present in semen.

It is important to understand that there are many problems with prostate health that arent life threatening. So if you feel that you may have a problem with your prostate, usually shown by a difficulty to urinate, it is important that you seek medical advice. Prostate disease is a condition that can vary from individual to individual. Some simply have an infection that can be treated with medication; others have an inflammation of the prostate tissue, while others simply have an enlargement of the prostate gland. While all of these many indicate cancer at a latter point, they dont necessarily mean cancer right off the bat.

Getting a diagnosis is the first step to improving your prostate health. Your doctor may perform one or more of the following tests to access the situation. Most of them are painless or may only be uncomfortable. Discuss your options with your doctor if you have a low threshold for pain.

DRE (digital rectal examination). The physician will fell the prostate manually to look for enlargements and problems.

PSA (prostate-specific antigen) testing. Your doctor will do a simple blood test to determine your level of PSA. Small amounts are normal, but large amounts could indicate a problem.

TRUS (transrectal ultrasound). This test uses wave echoes to create an image of the prostate.

Cystoscopy- where the doctor looks through the urethra with a thin, lighted tube.

Biopsy- a small tissue sample is collected from the area and studied.

The key to preserving your prostate health is go get proper treatment early on. Many men are ashamed to seek treatment, which can ultimately lead to further complications. Prostate disease and cancer are easily treated as long as you get diagnosed early on. At the first sign of pain or discomfort contact your doctor immediately. Men over the age of 50 should get their prostate checked out at least once a year. Find a doctor that you are comfortable with, and make sure to ask questions. Many patients choose to do research online before they visit a doctor, which will help you ask the right questions during your visit.
Adam Short is freelance writer and creator of http://www.prostatehealthinfo.info- a site providing prostate health information.