Here’s a fact all men should know – other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, with lung cancer ranked as the leading cause.
For the year 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 180,890 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed with around 26,120 men will die from this disease.
“Men certainly should be aware of their risk of prostate cancer but they should also be aware that the majority of men who develop this disease will not die from it,” said Dr. David Samadi, chairman of urology and chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Thanks to advancements in early detection and treatments, the majority of men will beat prostate cancer. But the goal is to prevent developing prostate cancer to begin with. One way to do this is by eating an overall pattern of healthy eating.”
Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? Several studies have shown that in countries where men eat a typical “Western” diet containing large amounts of red meat, that the incidence of prostate cancer, especially aggressive prostate cancer, is higher than in countries where men consume more plant-based foods.
A study called the Men’s Eating and Living (MEAL) is a currently ongoing federally funded national study researching to see if a diet high in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods helps to control tumor growth in men with early-stage prostate cancer.
“This two-year study involves having men eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily – much more than the average American does,” stated Dr. Samadi. “It also has the men eating two servings of whole grains and one serving of beans or other legumes daily. During the two years, researchers will collect blood samples from the participants assessing their levels of antioxidants and nutrients. They will also have their PSA tests monitored along with prostate biopsies to see if the cancer is progressing or not.”
Men between the ages of 50-80 years old who have small, low-grade tumors and who have opted to have their condition followed closely through active surveillance rather than undergoing immediate treatment are the participants actively involved in this clinical trial study.
At the end of the study, it is hoped that there will be more information that has been gathered and a clearer picture of what kind of an impact diet has on slowing the progression of prostate cancer.
In the meantime, it is advisable for all men to adopt and focus on eating a diet with a healthy pattern of eating to possibly help reduce his risk of developing prostate cancer or to slow down the progression of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Here is what a man can do either way:
• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Choose those with deep, bright color such as peppers, dark leafy greens, broccoli, and tomatoes.
• Choose whole-grain bread (100% whole wheat) instead of white bread. Choose whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta and cereals.
• Limit your consumption of red meat, including beef, pork, lamb, and goat, and processed meats such as bologna, sausage, and hot dogs. Fish, skinless poultry, beans, and eggs are healthier sources of protein.
• Choose healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios,) and avocados. Limit saturated fats from dairy and other animal products.
• Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks, such as sodas, sweet tea, and sports drinks with added sugar. Have sweets only as an occasional treat. Men should have no more than 9 teaspoons, 36 grams, or 150 calories of added sugar a day – read the Nutrition Facts Labels on food packages to find this information. Keep in mind, most regular soft drinks can have between 9-11 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can. Added sugar does not include natural sugars found in fruits or dairy products.
• Cut down on salt. Choose foods low in sodium by reading and comparing food labels. Limit the use of canned and processed foods. Consume no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium a day.
• Choose at least 90% of the foods you eat in their natural state – the way Mother Nature made them.
• Choose foods high in the phytochemical lycopene which may lower risk of prostate cancer. Foods containing lycopene include tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, watermelon, papaya, and pink grapefruit.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight by eating healthy and exercising regularly.
Dr. Samadi added, “Besides the importance of a healthy diet, men should also stay active. There have not been many studies on the impact of exercise on prostate health but of the ones conducted, they have shown exercise to be beneficial. Research has shown that men who were more physically active throughout the week were less likely to develop benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), erectile dysfunction, and chronic prostatitis.”
“One other thing I strongly advise is every man should get a baseline PSA screening starting at age 40 with a yearly PSA thereafter,” urged Dr. Samadi. “By doing this, a man and his doctor can look at the trend and velocity of increase to catch very early if his PSA numbers are going up. When prostate cancer is caught early, a man has an excellent chance of defeating it.”
Men do have a say in their fight against either developing prostate cancer or already having been diagnosed with it. Food can be a powerful arsenal equipping a man with what he needs to fight to keep himself healthy and prostate cancer free.
