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7 Foods That Prevent Prostate Cancer

Monday, August 30, 2010 9:56 AM

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

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Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and the disease kills more than 32,000 Americans each year. Yet, hundreds of studies have shown that certain foods, such as tomatoes and fish, are powerful cancer-fighters.

Improve the odds of avoiding prostate cancer by adding generous helpings of the following foods to your anti-cancer diet:

1. Cruciferous vegetables

A study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that men who ate three servings a week of cruciferous vegetables, which include cabbage and broccoli, lower their odds of developing prostate cancer by 41 percent. These veggies contain two powerful phytochemicals, glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which are believed to neutralize cancer-causing substances.

Another study reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that a compound in cruciferous vegetables called indole-3-carbinol, is converted by the body into DIM, a substance which blocks male hormones and keeps prostate cancer cells from growing.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. A Harvard study of more than 40,000 health professionals found that men who ate the most tomato-based foods decreased their risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent when compared to men who ate the least amount. Another study found that the odds of developing prostate cancer — especially aggressive prostate cancer — decreased with higher amounts of lycopene in the blood. Fifty

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milligrams of lycopene daily significantly raised the blood level of this beneficial antioxidant.

3. Fish

A study published in Clinical Cancer Research found that men who eat one or two servings of fatty fish each week have a 63 percent lower risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which researchers believe fights inflammation. The link was the strongest among men who had a genetic disposition for aggressive prostate cancer. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found a 41 percent decrease in risk among men who ate the most foods containing omega-3s than men who ate the least.

4. Green tea

The School of Medicine of the University of Parma, Italy, studied a group of men at high risk of developing cancer. The research found that those who took three 200 mg capsules of green tea daily for one year reduced their risk of developing cancer by 90 percent compared to men taking a placebo. A study conducted at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport found that when men who were scheduled for radical prostate surgery took four capsules containing Polyphenon E — an active ingredient in tea that was the equivalent to 12 cups of green tea — prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels dropped more than 30 percent in some patients.

5. Pomegranate juice

This juice slowed the progression of prostate cancer in a study presented at the American Urological Association's annual meeting. The PSA levels of a group of men treated for localized prostate cancer (PSA levels are used to monitor the progression of prostate cancer as well as to diagnose it) doubled every 15 months. After the men drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice each day for up to two years, it took four times as long for their PSA levels to double. "A longer doubling time indicates that the cancer is progressing less rapidly," said Dr. Erik Castle at MayoClinic.com.

6. Brazil nuts

These nuts are high in the mineral selenium, and researchers at Stanford University found that men diagnosed with prostate cancer had much lower selenium levels than healthy men years before their cancer was diagnosed. Their study found that high blood levels of selenium were associated with a four to fivefold decrease in the odds of developing prostate cancer. "This study

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showed that there was a direct connection between selenium and prostate cancer," lead author Dr. James Brooks said in a statement. Experts say just two freshly shelled Brazil nuts each day provide the recommended amount of 200 mcg daily.

7. Scallions

Chinese researchers studied 238 men with prostate cancer and 471 healthy men and compared their intake of allium vegetables, which include garlic, scallions, leeks, and chives. Overall, the men who ate the largest amount of the various allium vegetables reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 50 percent, but the men who ate the highest amounts of scallions reduced their risk of developing localized prostate cancers by 70 percent. Only 1/10th of an ounce of scallions a day provided the huge benefit.

© 2010 Newsmax. All rights reserved

Preventing prostate cancer and diet

Excerpted from Prostate Disease: Finding the Cause and

Cure, a Harvard Health Publications Special Health report

(2003)

Preventing prostate cancer

The cause of prostate cancer is unknown, which means it’s hard to suggest preventive strategies. Researchers have not found a powerful association with lifestyle, although there is some evidence that diet may play a role.

Diet

The science of food and cancer prevention is a moving target that, so far, hasn’t produced clear-cut advice for prostate cancer prevention. But some interesting trends are emerging.

For example, increasing though still inconclusive evidence links the consumption of fatty foods, particularly dairy products and red meat, to prostate cancer. In 1993, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health published a survey of more than 51,000 American men (ages 40–75), showing that men who ate the most fat (89 grams daily) had nearly twice the risk for advanced prostate disease as those who consumed the least (53 grams daily). Red meat appeared to be a greater risk factor than other high-fat foods.

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A diet high in dairy products has also been implicated as a risk factor for prostate cancer, and this relationship may have little to do with fat. In nine separate studies, the strongest and most consistent dietary factor linked with prostate cancer was high consumption of milk or dairy products. In the largest of these, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced or metastatic (spreading) prostate cancer as those who didn’t drink milk at all.

At first, researchers thought the connection was due to the saturated fat in dairy products. But results from the study, as well as more careful analyses of other data, suggest calcium might be the culprit. The men who took more than 2,000 mg of calcium a day were almost three times as likely to develop metastatic prostate cancer as men who got less than 500 mg per day.

In contrast, there is evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk for prostate cancer. In 1995, a large epidemiological study by Harvard researchers found that men who ate at least 10 servings a week of tomato-based foods reduced their risk for the disease by 45%, while those who had 4–7 servings lowered their risk by 20%. Researchers suspect the protective agent is lycopene, a carotenoid and antioxidant found mostly in tomatoes and tomato products.

Because lycopene is tightly bound inside cell walls, your body has a hard time extracting it from raw tomatoes. Cooking breaks down these walls. Cooking oil dissolves it and helps shuttle it into the bloodstream. Quercetin, a flavonoid most abundant in apples, onions, black and green teas, and red wine, is also showing promise as a source of protective benefits.

Vitamins and minerals.

Another potentially protective substance is vitamin E. A large Finnish study found that male smokers who took 50 IU (international units) of vitamin E daily were 32% less likely to develop prostate cancer and 41% less likely to die from it than those who didn’t take vitamin E supplements. But be aware that antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin E, may interfere with the benefits of the cholesterol-lowering drugs taken by people at risk for heart disease. On the other hand, a multivitamin containing the usual recommended daily amount of vitamin E is considered safe.

Selenium, found in certain plant foods, may also help prevent several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. The amount of selenium in the soil, which varies by region, determines the amount found in the plant. But your selenium intake isn’t wholly dependent on the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet; animals that eat plants grown in selenium-rich regions also have higher levels. In the United States, the highest soil concentrations are found in the high plains of northern Nebraska and the Dakotas.

A study of 1,312 men at the Arizona Cancer Center showed that those who took 200 micrograms (mcg) of selenium per day were 63% less likely to get cancer of any kind and, in particular, reduced their risk for lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Even larger trials are under way, including the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Trial (SELECT), which involves some 32,000 participants.

All in all, the evidence that any food or nutrient plays a role in preventing cancer of the prostate remains sketchy. To reach any firm conclusions, further study is clearly needed.

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10 Foods to Prevent Cancer

February 21, 2009 By Amy Bell

Every year more than 500,000 people die from cancer in the United

States alone.

Many researchers and cancer specialists believe that up to 60% of those deaths can be prevented if Americans adopt healthier lifestyles.

According to Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute,

“The easiest and least expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is

just by eating a healthy diet.”

Here is an overview of ten important cancer fighting foods to include in your diet on a regular basis:

1. Garlic – Garlic contains a number of compounds that can protect against cancer, especially that of the skin, colon, and lungs.

2. Dark Leafy Greens – Dark greens are rich sources of antioxidants called carotenoids. These scavenge dangerous free radicals from the body before they can promote cancer growth.

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3. Grapes – Grapes (and red wine) contain the chemical resveratrol, which is a very potent antioxidant that can prevent cell damage before it begins.

4. Green Tea – The flavonoids in green tea have been shown to slow or prevent the development of several types of cancer including colon, liver, breast, and prostate.

5. Tomatoes – The compound lycopene, (which is most easily absorbed from cooked tomatoes) has been shown to prevent prostate cancer, as well as cancer of the breast, lung, and stomach.

6. Blueberries – Of all the berries, blueberries are the richest in cancer fighting compounds. They are beneficial in the prevention of all types of cancer.

7. Flaxseeds – Flax contains lignans, which can have an antioxidant effect and block or suppress cancerous changes. The omega-3 fatty acids can also help protect against colon cancer.

8. Mushrooms – Many mushrooms contain compounds that can help the body fight cancer and build the immune system as well.

9. Cruciferous Vegetables – Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts contain strong antioxidants that may help decrease cancer risk.

10. Whole Grains – Whole grains contain a variety of anti-cancer compounds including antioxidants, fiber, and phytoestrogens. These can help decrease the risk of developing most types of cancer.

Remember, along with a healthy diet, a physically active lifestyle is important for cancer prevention as well.

Broccoli and tomatoes prevent prostate cancer better than leading prescription drugs, research shows

Saturday, July 17, 2004

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)

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Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/001391.html# ixzz1kfCNt4mH

Want to know how to beat prostate cancer? Your physician will probably tell you to

take prescription drugs. That's the no-brainer answer from a professional who has been

all but brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry.

But the real answer is far simpler and a lot less expensive: eat large quantities of

broccoli and tomatoes in combination. Exciting new research proves that this simple food combination actually beats prostate cancer drugs -- but only when these foods are eaten in combination.

Nutritional supplements aren't the same, either: you won't get the same effect from taking lycopene and broccoli extracts. You have to eat the fresh foods, and you'll get your best results by eating them raw.

There's more good news: these powerful healing foods are effective against far more than just prostate cancer: they also prevent and even help reverse breast cancer, colon cancer, leukemia and other cancers of the body. In fact, they're two of the foods listed in the highly recommended book Eat To Beat Cancer by J. Robert Hatherill.

If these simple food combinations are so powerful against cancer, then why don't doctors tell their patients about them? Sadly, few doctors have even a fundamental understanding of nutrition, and it's rare to find a practicing physician who keeps up with the latest news on nutrition research. In med school, doctors are primarily taught drugs, drugs and drugs, not nutrition. So they automatically think that drugs, not foods, are the answer to treating chronic diseases like cancer.

But they're wrong. Prescription drugs are not needed at all: not for lowering cholesterol, not for fighting cancer, and not for lowering blood sugar in diabetics. All the healing you'll ever need is found in plants, foods, herbs and superfoods. You don't need to take a single prescription drug in your entire life if you stick to healthy nutritional habits in the first place. And it's the simple things that are so powerful: broccoli, tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and so on. These are potent healing foods -- far more potent than any prescription drug -- and they're available at a fraction of the cost.

So stay healthy: choose healing foods that prevent disease and support optimum human health. Avoid all processed foods and cancer-causing ingredients like sodium nitrite. Your body will thank you for it!

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Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/001391.html# ixzz1kfCa5rX0

Eat These Foods to Prevent Prostate Cancer

A review of published studies on the link between diet and prostate cancer risk

suggests that men can lower their risk by making the right food choices.

By Megan O’Neill

Topics: prostate cancer

Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, especially tomatoes and members of the

broccoli family. Drink more tea; cut back on meat and dairy.

Red alert: Eating lots of veggies, especially tomato-based foods, can lower a man's prostate risk.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—A new report, which analyzes decades’ worth of research on the

role of foods in prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, finds that eating more fruits and

vegetables and less meat and dairy is an important way for men to lower their risk. Prostate

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cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in men, and the sixth most commonly diagnosed

cancer overall.

THE DETAILS: Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and the

Cancer Council of New South Wales scoured studies published between 1965 and 2008 on the

topic of diet and nutrition and their effects on prostate cancer. The goal was to see if enough

evidence existed in support of or against the inclusion of certain foods and nutrients (such as

alcohol, meat, fat, lycopene, selenium, calcium, and various vitamins) in a diet aimed at

reducing prostate cancer risk. While evidence proved inconclusive for many of the nutrients, the

researchers did find a connection between phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables, as

well as polyphenol compounds in beverages like tea, and a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Conversely, eating more meat and dairy products seems to increase a person’s prostate cancer

risk.

WHAT IT MEANS: The authors of this review concluded there wasn’t enough definitive evidence

to prescribe a specific diet that has the power to reduce a person’s risk of prostate cancer. But

that doesn’t mean that eating well won’t positively affect your prostate—and overall—health.

“Certainly, diet is not the only factor that affects the development of prostate cancer and its

treatment, but striving for a healthy diet is an important step that people can take to reduce

their cancer risk,” says Kathy Chapman, chair of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee

for the Cancer Council, and one of the study’s authors.

So just what does a healthy prostate diet include? Here are some foods you should strive to eat

more of, along with a few to start limiting.

Eat more of these:

• Tomato-based products. Soups, pasta sauces, and tomato-based juices increase your body’s

stores of lycopene, a carotenoid found mainly in tomatoes. This phytochemical helps limit

damage to cells like those in the prostate, and at least three studies have found that tomato

intake and lycopene levels are linked to a reduced incidence of prostate cancer. You can also

find lycopene in watermelon.

• Beverages containing polyphenols. Green tea and pomegranate juice are rich in antioxidant-

containing polyphenols, which help prevent cell oxidation (chemical damage), and stop the

spread of cancerous cells.

• Cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and bok choy all contain

compounds that have been shown to protect cells from DNA damage. Several studies have

shown that a high intake of these types of veggies is associated with a decreased risk of prostate

cancer.

Eat less of these:

• Meats cooked at high temperatures. Grilling or sautéing meat at high temperatures creates a

type of carcinogen that has been found to cause prostate cancer in animal models.

Charbroiling red meat or chicken with its skin intact produces yet another type of carcinogen.

Both of these cancer causers are also found in tobacco smoke. As you enjoy this year’s prime

grilling season, keep blackening to a minimum. Try recipes that call for cooking meat over a

lower temperature or in foil. If you grill frequently, include some seafood, grilled veggies and

fruits, and other choices in your menus.

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• Sugary, processed foods. Sugar is a prime source of energy for many types of cancer cells,

including those involved in prostate cancer. The more unneeded sugar you take in, the more

existing tumors will be stimulated and grow. Some animal studies suggest that the simple act of

cutting sugar from your diet can slow prostate cancer growth. Plus, feeding on sugary snacks

makes it easier to gain weight, which is a know cancer risk factor.

• Dairy products. Though the exact link between dairy product consumption and prostate

cancer is unknown, plenty of studies have found that people who consume more dairy products

have a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer. It’s believed that calcium and lactose

may be part of the problem, as it’s not just whole milk, but low-fat and skim as well that have

been implicated in this increased risk. That said, men do need healthy intakes of calcium. Men

over 18 should aim to get 1,000 milligrams (mg) a day, and bump that up to 1,200 mg/day

starting at age 51. A cup of skim milk has about 300 mg of calcium; some fortified cereals can

have as much as 1,000 mg per serving.