Nutrition In Prostate Cancer

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

The prostate is an organ that sits nestled under the bladder. Over time, however, many men get an enlarged prostate, which causes annoying and sometimes painful urinary problems. The prostate is also one of the first organs in the human body to suffer from cancer.

But these problems are not inevitable. They depend in part on what people eat. The nutrients we choose every day can protect us from similar problems, as well as from many others related to our health.

Changing eating habits can help prevent prostate problems. The prostate is under hormonal control. In prostate cells, testosterone is converted into a powerful hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), and it is precisely this that causes prostate enlargement.

Food can have a strong effect on sex hormones, including testosterone. Reducing the intake of meat and dairy products, as well as adding more vegetables to our plates can reduce the hormonal stimulation of the prostate and prevent prostate problems.

Daily consumption of meat triples the risk of prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Regular consumption of milk doubles the risk, and the lack of regular intake of vegetables almost quadruples the risk.

The first step in preventing prostate cancer is a low-fat diet or a vegetarian diet, and you can add the following vitamins and oils to your diet:

1. Cold pressed linseed oil, two tablespoons a day. If this leads to loosening, rest assured, the problem usually subsides after a week;

2. Vitamin E, 400 IU per day with food. Reduce to 100 IU per day if you have high blood pressure;

3. Vitamin B6, 100 milligrams per day;

4. Avoid caffeine and reduce alcohol consumption to a minimum.

Prostate cancer differs from prostate enlargement in that cancer cells can invade neighboring tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Cancers are like weeds whose seeds are scattered from place to place. On moist and fertile soil they take root and grow uncontrollably. But if the soil is not watered, they doze off or even dry out.

Countries that consume more meat and meat products have much higher rates of cancer than countries that consume rice, other grains, beans and vegetables.

Testosterone and hormones stimulate prostate cancer cells. High fat and meat-based diets increase the effects of testosterone and in many studies have been linked to an increasing rate of prostate cancer.

A diet based on plant foods is the best protection for a man against the development of prostate cancer. This type of diet is naturally low in fat and high in fiber, both of which make testosterone maintain a good level. Antioxidants help the immune system fight the production of free radicals that cause cancer.

Two important dietary guidelines that deserve special attention in the prevention of prostate cancer are the inclusion of the antioxidant lycopene and the avoidance of dairy products in your daily diet.

Lycopene

You may not have heard much about lycopene, but you've probably seen a lot of it. Just like beta-carotene in nature is a yellow-orange or bright red pigment, providing color to tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit.

Lycopene is in the carotenoid family, which means that it is a chemical cousin of beta-carotene, but is actually a much more powerful antioxidant than it. A study at Harvard University found that men who consumed two servings of tomato sauce a week had a 23% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who rarely consumed tomato products. In fact, the cooking process releases lycopene from plant cells, which increases its ability to be absorbed by cells.

Dairy products

An additional risk of cancer is associated with a protein in the blood called insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1). Although a certain amount of IGF-1 in the blood is normal, its high levels are associated with an increased risk of cancer. It plays a role in cell growth among other functions, and experiments show that IGF-1 promotes the growth of cancer cells.

Diet has a strong effect on IGF-1. Excessive intake of calories or protein increases the amount of IGF-1 in the blood, as well as the inclusion of dairy products in the diet. Drinking milk in men leads to a 30 to 60 percent higher risk of cancer than men, who usually avoid dairy products.

Other mechanisms that may contribute to the link between dairy products and prostate cancer include the harmful effects of high-calcium foods and the balance of vitamin D in the body.

It is important to remember that eating meat and dairy products increases the risk of cancer, and diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce it.