November is ( was) prostate cancer awareness month. I had been meaning to do a post on natural foods that may be preventive in nature and reduce progression of prostate cancer, but with writing posts for Diabetes Awareness month and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, I took a backseat on this one. Well, better a little late than never. If you noticed some of your coworkers or friends growing beards and mustaches during November, it was to show support for Prostate Cancer Awareness month ! BTW Movember stands for November & Male, hence spelled Movember !! Like every other disease, some people are more prone to prostate cancer than others. Genetics, hormones, age, race, family history, where you live can all be risk factors. Treatment for prostate cancer ranges between chemotherapy to hormone therapy and diet or food is generally used for management of side effects due to radiation therapy. There are however some foods that seem to reduce the risk and progression of prostate cancer. Studies conducted suggest increased consumption of these foods lower PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) values thereby prevention progression of the disease to a carcinogenic cancer. I maintain as with all my other food and disease posts that since natural, whole foods are packed with synergistic nutrients that work together to provide a plethora of health benefits without causing negative side effects, they are a welcome addition to any diet.
Super Foods that may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Tomatoes : are loaded with an antioxidant called lycopene. The protective effect was slightly stronger for cooked tomato products like ketchup, marinara sauce, tomato soup rather than raw tomatoes in a salad or juice. Apparently cooking the tomatoes increases absorption and utilization of lycopene. Studies also found that small amounts of added fat improved lycopene absorption. Lycopene is also found in watermelon and grapefruit, but since these fruits are rarely cooked it seems more applicable to give lycopene credit to tomatoes. So, slather on the marinara sauce, ketchup and feed in to goodness of lycopene ! Smart alert !! Lycopene is also a natural sunscreen that offers skin protection, thereby preventing skin cancer. That seems a good enough reasons to make tomatoes a family favorite!
Green tea: Drinking Green Tea seems to lead to less prostate tissue inflammation which in turn lessens tumor growth by affecting substances called growth factors. This could be due to the high content of polyphenols, antioxidants that protect against cell damage in green tea.
Cruciferous Vegetables: Cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, watercress, buck choy are all considered cruciferous vegetables. They are rich in components that prevent many kinds of cancer including prostate cancer. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered 3,3′-diindolylmethane in cruciferous vegetables is a strong androgen receptor antagonist in human prostate cancer cells.
Vitamin D : Seems to be the new black for everything from cancer to obesity. Studies indicate males with high level of Vitamin D less susceptible to prostate cancer. Higher intake of Vitamin D seem to suppress spread of the cancer. although Vitamin D is called the sunlight vitamin, there are several factors that prevent absorption of Vitamin D through sunlight. Hence, supplementation through foods that have been fortified with Vitamin D and taking a supplement are usually advisable in people having a deficiency of this Vitamin. I am deficient and take a 5mg supplement everyday.
Walnuts : One of the most healthy nuts I love are walnuts. They are said to slow cancer growth and reduce tumor size in mice. An interesting fact to note according to the National Cancer Institute is that while one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, only one in 36 will die from the disease because most tumors do not spread beyond the local site. So anything that can prevent tumor size from growing is beneficial indeed ! All the more reason to load up on this powerful nut ! To read about more health benefits of walnuts click here.
Conversely consumption of highly processed or charcoaled meats, dairy products, and fats seem to be correlated with prostate cancer. In general, a diet low in fat and red meat and high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial in preventing and treating prostate cancer.
Overall eating a well-balanced diet and regular exercise can contribute to good health and help manage side effects of prostate cancer treatment ! For example, many prostate cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy, and may experience fatigue and diarrhea, both of which can be managed with diet modifications. Other recommendations will be customized according to the type of cancer treatment received. Check with your doctor or dietitian for nutrition management of side effects.
Hope you found this post useful and remember the best medicine for any cancer or health condition is minimizing stress in your life !
References :
Hi there! I’m Sunithi, AKA Sue, a registered dietitian with a sweet tooth and a passion for eating healthy (quite a combo) currently working as an independent consultant in the DC Metro area. I’m also a blogger, health nut, nutrition geek who jogs to keep sane :)! I love to revamp recipes and add some ‘Nutrition Bytes’ to them. All my recipes are gluten free! I also blog on natural health and fitness! Visit often and drop me a note if you have any nutrition queries!
Sue,
Don’t know why, but I’m still having issues viewing your posts. In Google Chrome, I get a big blank white section before it displays the tomato section. However, if I open my IE browser, I am able to view … Not complaining, just thought you might want to know.
Refresh and check again ! Thanks for letting me know. I should probably check with mt tech support person. Chances are others may have the same problem viewing my posts too & I need to fix that ! Oh to be a little more handy in fixing this stuff !!
That happened to me too when I was signed into my Facebook as my page rather than from my personal profile. Once I clicked on “Switch” on my Facebook icon that appeared at the top of this page by the Share button, the page reloaded and displayed correctly. So for me it was a Facebook related error, maybe something like that was your case too?
That was it – Thx for sharing the fix, Kimberly 🙂
Green tea is great drink and I love it so much. I knew that green tea is very beneficial for healthy but I didn’t know if it can help prevent cancer. Thanks for the information.
Welcome ! I even put green tea in my smoothies ! Love it too !
That is a great idea! I will have to try that. Thanks for the great information. I found your article via Triberr in our Healthy Living Tribe. I will be sure to share this article with my followers! Thanks for the great health tips, you have a beautiful blog. I will be following for more good nutrition reads!
Thanks Kim 🙂 Looking forward to your posts as well !
Thanks for the thoroughly researched post. Prostrate cancer can also be treated with natural foods; this is good information.
Thanks ! Glad you found the stuff useful 🙂 !
These are some great suggestions for prostate health.
Some other great sources of nutrients for prostate health include Omega-3’s, as found in “fatty” fish like salmon.
Soy is also a good booster, but get it from your food. The FDA reports that soy supplements may cause hormonal imbalances.
Great post!
I believe cancer can be treated naturally if we only know what nature can give us.