How To Prevent Prostate Cancer Or Reduce Your Prostate Cancer Risk

Many thousands of men die each year from prostate cancer and yet the number of deaths could be substantially reduced with just a few simple preventative measures.

It would be nice to think that there was some simple routine that you could follow, or diet that you could adopt, or pill that you could take to give you a one hundred percent guarantee that you would not develop prostate cancer.

Unfortunately no such routine, diet or pill exists today and, despite our best efforts, some of us will inevitable contract prostate cancer. There are, however, many things that you can do by way of prevention and it is certainly possible to lower your risk of developing the disease.

The first thing that you must do is to simply recognize that there is indeed a risk of contracting prostate cancer and that this risk will vary from person to person.

For example, if you have a family history of prostate cancer with perhaps a grandfather, father or brother dying from the disease then you are twice as likely to contract the disease as somebody without any family history. One difficulty here is that, because prostate cancer often strikes quite late in life and can sometimes be very slow to develop, many men die as a result of some other condition before their prostate cancer has developed to any great extent. So, if a member of your family has always been assumed to have died from a heart attack, that doesn't mean that he didn't suffer from prostate cancer and it's worth checking your family history closely to see if you are at higher than average risk.

Other risk factors include such things as race with African Americans, for example, at higher risk than Hispanic men who, in turn, are at higher risk than Caucasian men. People living in Western society are also at greater risk because of the nature of the diet followed by many in the West.

Whatever your level of risk, all men are at some risk of developing the disease and it is most likely to strike once you pass the age of 40. So what can be done to reduce the risk?

The two main areas to consider are your diet and the use of dietary supplements.

When it comes to diet the main culprit within the normal western diet would appear to be animal fat which, with the high level of meat in many western diets, is understandable. The solution here is simply to reduce the amount of meat in your diet and, when using meat, to stick to meats containing low levels of fat or to choose leaner cuts of high-fat meat.

When it comes to dietary supplements we enter something of a minefield, as opinions vary widely and are also often driven more by profit in this highly lucrative market than by any real medical evidence.

The list of possible dietary supplements for consideration in preventing prostate cancer is far too long for this short article and ranges from vitamins, such as vitamin E, and minerals, such as Selenium, to estrogen and green tea extract. It is also necessary, when looking at dietary supplements, to view the wider picture of your overall health and to consider these not simply in terms of preventing prostate cancer.

It is also an excellent idea when considering supplements to look first at your diet itself and the need for virtually all supplements can be eliminated if you simply ensure that the required vitamins and minerals are included within a properly balanced diet including a wide variety of such things as fresh fruit and vegetables.

Although many thousands of men will die this year from prostate cancerFeature Articles, a large proportion of these deaths will have been unnecessary and a combination of early prostate cancer screening and some simple preventative measures could have prevented thousands of unnecessary deaths.

For more information on how to prevent prostate cancer and what to look out for when it comes to enlarged prostate symptoms please visit ProstateCancerExplained.com

Prostate Cancer Prevention - Vitamins and Natural Supplements

Studies show that certain vitamins, minerals and natural products provide protection against cancer. Whether in the form of fruit, tea or food supplements, these nutrients are a major asset to everyone wanting to protection from cancer. Let's take a look at some of the most well known vitamins, whilst introducing perhaps a few lesser-known naturally occurring products.

Vitamin E

Several studies have shown that vitamin E, particularly in conjunction with Selenium, could have a protective role against prostate cancer. Vitamin E helps combat free radicals that play a role in the appearance of cancer.

The results of a cancer prevention study carried out in Finland, published its results in 1998. The study involved 29,133 men, all smokers, who every day for a period of 6 years took either 50 mg of vitamin E or a placebo. The incidence of prostate cancer in those taking the daily dose of vitamin E showed an overall reduction of 32% over those taking the placebo.

Selenium

Selenium is a mineral found in the ground and which we ingest through eating fruits and vegetables. Men with low levels of selenium in the blood have a risk of prostate cancer four to five times higher than normal. The amount of Selenium retained in the bloodstream reduces with age, and unfortunately the soil in many western countries (where the risk of prostate cancer is highest) is poor in selenium.

The results of a clinical study carried out by the University of Arizona showed that taking a complement of 200 micrograms of Selenium each day could reduce the incidence of prostate cancer by 63%.

Selenium also enters our diet by beng present in cereals, meat, fish, and eggs. Liver and Brazil nuts are also particularly rich sources of selenium.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is especially well known, along with calcium, for the important role it plays in the health of your bones. The body synthesizes about two-thirds of its vitamin D requirement thanks to the sun (assuming you spend enough time in the sun). The rest is obtained through food.

Vitamin D is also an important anti-cancer weapon. Several American studies have shown that people who live at more northerly latitudes are significantly more prone to cancer than those who live near to the Equator. Those further north are generally deficient in vitamin D due to the weaker sunlight. This is certainly true for prostate cancer: for example the results of a study published in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Cancer" demonstrate that the incidence of prostate cancer in the state of Florida is twice that in the northern State of Maine.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a substance synthesized by plants, and which belongs to the large group known as flavenoids. It is found in substances such as red wine, onions and green tea. Quercetin possesses anti-oxidant properties. In 1999 a food complement formulated using Quercetin, Bromelain and Papain (enzymes extracted from pineapples and papaya fruits) underwent a placebo-controlled test on 30 patients suffering from chronic prostatitis. 20% of patients taking the placebo and 67% taking the food complement showed an improvement.

A further randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted by the Institute for Male Urology in Encino, California, found that 82% of patients who received another proprietary blend of Quercetin, recorded at least a 25% improvement in the National Institutes of Health pain and quality of life symptom score. Importantly, all of these patients had failed to show improvement after taking several courses of antibiotics and other therapies before participating in the study.

A Vitamin Cocktail

Another American study, the results of which were published in 1999, demonstrated that vitamin and mineral supplements guard against prostate cancer. Researchers compared the effects of vitamins on 697 men aged between 40 and 64 and suffering from prostate cancer, with the effects on 666 men in good health. The results demonstrated that regular taking of vitamins C and E together with zinc reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

As can be seen from the above examples, the taking of certain vitamins and minerals can have demonstrable benefits in the prevention of prostate cancer. All men over the age of 40 should seriously consider taking some of these simple preventative measures as an aid to their well-being. Indeed there are several proprietary formulations available commercially providing balanced doses of several of these naturally occurring products.

About the Author
Dr Tavares writing about cancer treatment can be seen at http://www.prostate-cancer-answers.info/treatment and her column on prostate cancer can be found regularly at http://www.prostate-cancer-answers.info/

Prostate Cancer and Prevention

I recently attended a meeting of physicians, surgeons, research scientists and concerned individuals for the Pacific Prostate Cancer Conference. Representatives of Oregon Health Sciences University spoke about their state-of-the-art prostate cancer research department. Every man reading this article can benefit from the advances made in prevention, detection and treatment of this disease.

Let's begin with a brief review of our anatomy. The prostate gland is located around the bottom portion of a man's bladder and is positioned behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. The prostate's primary function is to produce most of the fluids in semen. Tiny ducts within the prostate convey this fluid to the urethra, the channel that drains urine from the bladder. This fluid is then released through the penis during ejaculation.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. It's estimated that by age 50, up to 1 in 4 men have some cancerous cells in the prostate gland. By age 80, the ratio increases to 1 in 2. So, your risk of prostate cancer increases as you age. The average age at diagnosis is 72.

Prostate cancer also is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Yet unlike other cancers, you're more likely to die with prostate cancer than you are to die from it. On average, an American man has about a 30 percent risk of having prostate cancer in his lifetime, but only about a 3 percent risk of dying of the disease.

The risk of prostate cancer is dramatically higher among blacks, intermediate among whites, and lowest among native Japanese. However, this increase in risk may be due to factors other than those associated with race. Studies have shown a link between levels of testosterone and prostate cancer risk, with black men having the highest levels.

Symptoms of prostate cancer include frequent urination, inability to urinate, blood in urine or semen, or painful ejaculation. Frequent low back pain, burning urination or a weak urine flow are also very common.

There is another condition of the prostate known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. This is basically an enlarged prostate with no cancerous lesions. Symptoms for this condition are similar in many respects to prostate cancer. For example, Prostate-Specific Antigen or PSA levels can become elevated in both BPH and prostatic cancer.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery are the three most common approaches to treatment of prostate cancer. The selection of which method is used depends largely upon the extent of the disease. With the surgical removal of the prostate, there is an increased risk of osteoporosis similar to that of menopause in women. This problem is most often handled by using hormone replacement therapy postoperatively. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements have also been shown to be helpful in reducing this type of bone loss.

Natural measures for the prevention of prostate cancer include chemoprevention, changes in diet and lifestyle, and hormonal prevention. Chemoprevention is the use of specific natural or man-made drugs, vitamins, or other agents in order to reverse, suppress, or prevent cancer growth. Several agents, including difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), isoflavonoids, selenium, vitamins D and E, and lycopene have shown potential benefit according to studies. Further tests are needed to confirm this.

The herb, saw palmetto, was once thought to be the best natural supplement for prevention of prostate cancer. Recent studies lead researchers to believe saw palmetto to be much less powerful in its preventive effect.

A diet high in fat, especially animal fat, may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. So, reducing red meat, cheese and other dairy products, salad dressings, and gravies is a good step. Increasing the dietary intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in some studies. Adding soy products such as tofu and soy milk can be helpful in regulating hormonal balance. Exercise, even just plain old walking, has been shown to reduce the incidence of prostate and of practically all other cancers.

Since prostate cancer has a link to testosterone levels, studies are underway to discover the role of certain drugs, such as finasteride, that reduce the amount of male hormone as preventive agents for prostate cancer.

If you think you have experienced any of the symptoms listed in this article, check with your health care provider. Early detection of prostate cancer is very important in managing its damaging effects.

If you would like more information on any topic discussed in this column or to suggest ideas for an article, you can contact me my website.
Jerry Ryan, Ph.D. is a Natural Health Coach who teaches individuals and group classes on the scientifically documented benefits of natural health techniques. He is also an internationally published author and has been a guest speaker at such places as NIKE World Headquarters. For more information, his website is http://www.JerryRyanPhD.com