As we get older, the concern for prostate cancer becomes a real worry. Another health issue that hinders the quality of life is an enlarged prostate. At the same time, research is showing that there are ways we can reduce our risk of having prostate cancer. Proper diet and health supplements can help reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer and even reduce the problems that an enlarged prostate can cause.
There are several ways for you to reduce your risk of getting prostate cancer, and they all have to do with a healthier lifestyle, a healthy diet, and making sure we eat enough of the right healthy foods.
Lycopene Reduces the Risk of Prostate Cancer
One way to reduce your risk of prostate cancer is to eat a diet high in lycopene. Lycopene has been found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Lycopene is an antioxidant and is the pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their red or pink color.
Lycopene is found in tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit and anything made with tomatoes. That could be something like pasta sauce, salsa, and tomato soup for example.
There are varying opinions on the amount of lycopene there is in cooked or raw foods or is it that they are better absorbed into our bodies when cooked. Adding some olive oil in the meal also appears to help the absorption of lycopene, which might explain why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy.
Lycopene containing foods have also been shown to reduce the risk of other health issues such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and macular degeneration. One of the best ways to get lycopene in your diet is by eating homemade tomato soup. A large cup of homemade tomato soup can contain as much as 26 mg of lycopene.
A Healthy Diet
Another way to reduce prostate cancer is to eat a low-fat diet. Researchers are finding that a high-fat diet increases the risk of prostate cancer. A diet high in unhealthy fats is one that consists mainly of fatty animal foods and dairy foods such as red meat, milk, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, and ice cream.
Fried foods are also very high in unhealthy fats. There is a difference in the oil used to cook with. The bad fats are trans-fats or partially hydrogenated and saturated fat. Olive oil is considered a good and healthful oil.
Look at the label of the products you buy and read the fat content. You might be surprised at just how much fat is in your food, look at the saturated fat especially. Pay attention to the servings size since these facts on the nutrition label are per serving. Remember that oil is pure fat, and just a little goes a long way.
Prostate cancer is much more common in countries where high-fat meat and dairy foods are the main diet. In countries where the diet mainly consists of rice, vegetables, and other plant foods, the risk of prostate cancer is much lower.
You don’t have to become a pure vegetarian, just eat more plant foods as larger portions of your diet. You could also consider a plant-based diet to further reduce the risk of prostate cancer, other cancers, and health issues.
Tomatoes and anything made with tomatoes makes up the largest amount of lycopene-containing foods. Here is a list of the amount of lycopene in different foods from the USDA.
A Healthy Diet
Another way to reduce prostate cancer is to eat a low-fat diet. Researchers are finding that a high-fat diet increases the risk of prostate cancer. A diet high in unhealthy fats is one that consists mainly of fatty animal foods and dairy foods such as red meat, milk, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, and ice cream.
Fried foods are also very high in unhealthy fats. There is a difference in the oil used to cook with. The bad fats are trans-fats or partially hydrogenated and saturated fat. Olive oil is considered a good and healthful oil.
Look at the label of the products you buy and read the fat content. You might be surprised at just how much fat is in your food, look at the saturated fat especially. Pay attention to the servings size since these facts on the nutrition label are per serving. Remember that oil is pure fat, and just a little goes a long way.
Prostate cancer is much more common in countries where high-fat meat and dairy foods are the main diet. In countries where the diet mainly consists of rice, vegetables, and other plant foods, the risk of prostate cancer is much lower.
You don’t have to become a pure vegetarian, just eat more plant foods as larger portions of your diet. You could also consider a plant-based diet to further reduce the risk of prostate cancer, other cancers, and health issues.
Tomatoes and anything made with tomatoes makes up the largest amount of lycopene-containing foods. Here is a list of the amount of lycopene in different foods from the USDA.
Product
|
Size
|
Milligrams (mg)
|
Tomato products, canned paste
Tomato products, canned puree
Marinara pasta sauce, ready-to-serve
Canned tomato sauce
Canned vegetable juice
Canned tomato juice
Canned tomato soup
Watermelon, raw
Canned stewed tomatoes
Guava, raw, common
Canned red ripe tomatoes
Raw red ripe tomatoes
Ketchup
1/2 grapefruit, pink or red
Salsa
Baked canned beans
|
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 slice
1 cup
1cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 tbsp
½
1 tbsp
1 cup
|
75
54
43
37
23
22
13
13
10
8.6
6.5
4.6
2.5
1.75
1.7
1.3
|
One study of 14,000 men and the consumption of foods with lycopene and prostate cancer, only tomatoes, beans, lentils, and peas were statistically significantly related to lower prostate cancer risk [1].
A recent study found that eating tomatoes could reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 35%, and aggressive prostate cancer by 53%. Tomato paste showed the highest inverse reaction to cancer [1].
Herbs and Nutrients
There are certain herbs and nutrients that you can include in your daily diet that reduces the risk of prostate cancer and can also reduce or eliminate problems and pain associated with an enlarged prostate.
Studies have shown milk and dairy products are bad for the prostate; the excessive calcium in milk suppresses the syntheses of vitamin D, which is important for prostate health. Fructose (the sugar from fruits) stimulates the production of vitamin D.
The prostate gland uses more zinc than any other body part. An increase in zinc has shown to enhance prostate health. Pumpkin seeds are very good for prostate health since they have a high amount of zinc.
Other trace nutrients include selenium, which Brazil nuts have a high concentration of. Vitamins D and E, soy-based foods which contain genistein and garlic which has cancer fighting sulfur compounds.
Saw palmetto has been used to reduce an enlarged prostate with positive results. Clinical studies have shown that saw palmetto works better at reducing an enlarged prostate than the prescribed drug Proscar [2]. Other herbs along with saw palmetto are pygeum, red clover, cernilton and stinging nettles.
Supplements to Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer
There are also lycopene supplements you can take to supplement your diet, but it is always best to get your nutrients and vitamins from real foods instead of supplements.
There is no recommended daily allowance (RDA) for lycopene since it is assumed most people get enough each day through their diet. It is recommended that we get 10-30 mg each day.
If you normally do not eat foods with lycopene or do not like tomatoes, you can take a supplement to make sure you are getting enough lycopene each day.
Lifestyle Changes
Other ways to possibly reduce your risk for prostate cancer include only moderate alcohol use or less, moderate exercise, lose weight if you need to and reduce your body fat. The more body fat you lose, the higher your lycopene levels will be in your body.
Most importantly, eat a healthy diet with plenty of foods that contain lycopene. Reduce the amount of meat, dairy and saturated fat in your diet.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © 2009-2018 Sam Montana
Sources
[1] Journal of the National Cancer Institute
[2] PubMed - Rhodes L, Primka RL, Berman C, Vergult G, Gabriel M, Pierre-Malice M, Gibelin B, “Comparison of finasteride (Proscar), a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, and various commercial plant extracts in in vitro and in vivo 5 alpha-reductase inhibition, “ Prostate 22 (1), 1993 pp. 43-51.
[2] PubMed - Rhodes L, Primka RL, Berman C, Vergult G, Gabriel M, Pierre-Malice M, Gibelin B, “Comparison of finasteride (Proscar), a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, and various commercial plant extracts in in vitro and in vivo 5 alpha-reductase inhibition, “ Prostate 22 (1), 1993 pp. 43-51.
