After lung cancer, the prostate cancer is the second largest killer disease in the United States. So it is only natural that a number of long term studies have been dedicated to work out a way to prevent this killer disease. These researches opened up the magnitude of exciting possibilities and enabled the medical professionals to put forward certain strategies to prevent this disease from destroying your life.
Though the entire range of factors that cause prostate cancer has not been discovered yet, many of the most potential risk factors have been found out and the two most important factors---the genetics and age----can not be altered or worked upon.
Age: The risk of prostate cancer increases dramatically after the age of fifty. Genetics: Past family history considerably increases your risk of prostate cancer.
Having these two characteristics means, you have a grater likelihood of developing prostate cancer than the people without these two characteristic. No matter whether you run these risk factors or not, by incorporating certain good lifestyle habits, you can avoid this disease altogether. Here are some areas which you should work on to prevent the disease.
Diet You may be able to prevent prostate cancer by following a healthy diet pattern.
According to the American Cancer society recommendations, one should follow a balanced diet with an emphasis on plant based foods. The calorie intake in forms of red meats and other high fat and processed foods must be restricted if one wishes to avoid prostate cancer. The daily diet should consist five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Top them with whole grains, cereals and beans. The consumption of anti oxidant rich fruits and vegetables like pink grapes, tomatoes or watermelon are highly encouraged as these foods help prevent damage of DNA and help reduce prostate cancer risk.
This nutritional guideline is good not only for preventing prostate cancer; it may also lower the risk for some other types of cancer too.
Exercise Although, no direct link has been established between being obese and developing prostate cancer, it has been found that obesity might affect levels of hormones that work for the development of prostate cancer. So try to follow a daily aerobic exercise regimen for 30 minutes or more.
Selenium and vitamin E Many nutrition researches in several parts of the world have suggested that certain doses of the mineral selenium or vitamin E or the combination of the both may help to prevent prostate cancer.
After you reach certain age, consult your physician regularly on the matter of your prostate health. Also take up an annual prostate checkup in addition of maintaining a healthy lifestyle including balanced diet and exercise. A digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test can detect a prostate cancer at the earliest stage and the earlier the disease is detected, the more the treatment will be effective.
It is a widely known fact that you should be eating fruits and vegetables for a balanced diet. In addition, studies have shown that the regular consumption of fruits and vegetables in place of meats can help prevent the onset of many diseases. Eating fruits and vegetables have been said to help in cancer prevention. Two examples of such fruits and vegetables that help prevent prostate cancer are quoted here:
Tomatoes
There is increasing evidence to support that the consumption of tomato and tomato-based products helps prevent prostate cancer. This is because tomatoes contain a particular substance known as lycopene. While lycopene is found in a variety of different sources, it is abundant in tomatoes. Additionally, somehow, the nutrients contained in the fruit help the body assimilate lycopene more readily.
Lycopene is apparently a very powerful antioxidant. During normal cellular processes, your immune system uses free radicals to mop out any foreign invaders like germs and bacteria. However, trouble starts if the free radicals are allowed to roam the body unchecked. They will eventually start attacking healthy cells, making them cancerous. These cancerous cells will then start to spread throughout the whole body. Antioxidants are substances that clean up excess free radicals. They therefore play a very critical role to help prevent prostate cancer.
Here are some interesting findings. The maximum benefits of lycopene appear to come from processed tomato products such as ketchup and tomato sauce. Scientists do not appear to know why but lycopene levels in processed tomatoes are found to be higher than in natural ones. These findings are not completely verified, however.
By all means, include ketchup and real tomatoes in your diet if you wish to prevent prostate cancer. Based on statistics, consuming at least two servings of lycopene a week can reduce your risk of getting prostate cancer by as much as 30%.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Substances that are known to cause cancers are known as called carcinogens. You may not be aware of this but we ingest carcinogens on a daily basis. Carcinogens are toxins that can also be found in the air that we breathe. Luckily, your body has a natural defence mechanism against carcinogens. Using protective proteins, the body cleans up the carcinogens before they can do any real harm. Cancer only starts when the protective proteins are removed or rendered useless.
To maintain the health of these protective proteins, researchers now advocate the regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy. These vegetables contain sulforaphane, a compound that strengthens the protective proteins. When sulforaphane is available within the body, the activities of the proteins increase. They become more efficient in dealing with carcinogens and thus slow down cancerous growth.
To get an adequate supply of sulforaphane, you should have at least 5 servings a week of cruciferous vegetables. A long term study show that men who eat cruciferous vegetables on a regular basis show a reduction of 20% less risk on having prostate cancer.
Thus, if you wish to prevent prostate cancer or reduce the risk of being diagnosed with one, consider including more tomatoes, broccoli and brussel sprouts in your diet today. There are many ways to prepare these fruits and vegetables to make them more palatable ; in salads, stews, juices, stir fried, boiled or baked.
Both Jason Uvios & Evelyn Lim are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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