Lowering Prostate Cancer Risk
While medicine is not yet able to change PCa risk factors such as genetics, considerable research goes into lifestyle changes that can lower the odds of developing PCa. These include things like diet, exercise, stress management, quitting smoking, and avoiding exposure to environmental toxins. Apparently, its time to put sexual behavior on that list.
What The Research Says
Steps to reduce cancer risk often include a lot of things you shouldnt do. So, it may be welcoming news to learn that something many men find pleasurable may help reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
Researchers dont understand exactly why frequent ejaculation might provide protection against prostate cancer. One theory is that ejaculation rids the prostate gland of cancer-causing materials, infection, and matter that can cause inflammation.
Despite strong evidence in favor of frequent ejaculation, the theory remains controversial. And there are . The greatest controversy regarding these studies is about the age when ejaculation occurs.
A 2008 determined that men were more likely to develop prostate cancer if they were very sexually active in their twenties and thirties. The study also found no conclusive evidence that masturbation provide greater risk than intercourse.
Prostate cancer is the second most common kind of cancer men get. Skin cancer is the most common cancer. In the United States, one in seven men will get prostate cancer at some point in their life.
The following factors affect your risk of getting prostate cancer:
You may also have an increased risk if youve had sex with 30 or more women or if youve had a sexually transmitted disease. This may be because of your sexual habits. Alternately, it could be that you have a stronger sex drive due to higher levels of male hormones, which can be a risk factor.
How Does Obesity Work
Currently, over 30% of American men are obese based on a body mass index of > 30, about two decades past, this figure was two times less.Usually, you have an excessive body mass, not because of muscles but fat. Fat or how it called adipose tissue consists mostly of lipid-rich cells which are the energy storage of the body. It has been shown both on humans and animals that adipose tissue is a site where the high activity of enzyme aromatase is observed. Aromatase converts testosterone a male hormone produced in the testicles and making you masculine, into estrogen, or the most common form of estrogen estradiol. Although E2 is called a female sex hormone, it plays a crucial role in multiple functions, including reproductive, in mens bodies as well. And it works perfectly as long as you did not gain extra weight. Obese men have more aromatase activity than normal, more T irreversibly converts into E2 disrupting their balance. Males with increasing obesity have on average twofold higher estrogen levels in both systemic circulation and locally in the prostate. And of course, these hormonal changes not only make a man more feminine affecting his body shape, sexual sphere, and even his social behavior but have a significant influence on prostate health as well.
BMI > 30 has been found to correlate with higher prostate weight, prostate-specific antigen , and more aggressive prostate cancer . BMI thus is an additional risk factor besides PSA.
Recommended Reading: Does Enlarged Prostate Affect Ejaculation
Can Masturbation Cause Cancer
Most men are experts at performing masturbation. Some often do it regularly. With that much experience, youd think that you know all there is to know about masturbation. According to doctors, however, that may not be true. There’re still many things concerning masturbation that you ought to know about. Can masturbation cause cancer, for example? Can it harm you? Is there even such a thing as doing masturbation too much?
Bowel Dysfunction After Prostate Cancer Treatment
The broad term of bowel dysfunction includes:
-
Diarrhea or frequent stools
-
Fecal incontinence or the inability to control bowel movements
-
Rectal bleeding
All of these side effects are far more common following external beam radiotherapy than any other primary therapy, but as techniques and dose planning strategies improve, even these rates have been dropping.
Recommended Reading: What Percentage Of Prostate Nodules Are Cancerous
Masturbating May Protect Against Prostate Cancer
By Douglas Fox
It will make you go blind. It will make your palms grow hairy. Such myths about masturbation are largely a thing of the past. But the latest research has even better news for young men& colon frequent self-pleasuring could protect against the most common kind of cancer.
A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concludes that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.
The protective effect is greatest while men are in their twenties& colon those who had ejaculated more than five times per week in their twenties, for instance, were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life .
The results contradict those of previous studies, which have suggested that having had many sexual partners, or a high frequency of sexual activity, increases the risk of prostate cancer by up to 40 per cent. The key difference is that these earlier studies defined sexual activity as sexual intercourse, whereas the latest study focused on the number of ejaculations, whether or not intercourse was involved.
The prostate produces part of the fluid that makes up semen
How May My Constipation Be Treated
Constipation is a common side effect or unwanted change in your body when you have chemotherapy treatment. Constipation can make you feel very uncomfortable. The most important thing for you to remember is to not let your constipation go on for days and days, but to get help right away. If you do not have a bowel movement for two days, you should tell your health care team right away. There are medicines that your doctor or health care team can give to you that will make your constipation better.
Also Check: What Happens To The Prostate Later In Life
Don’t Miss: What Is The Definition Of Prostate
How Does Obesity Affect Bph
The results of all studies agree on one thing: obese men have a higher risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia and worsened urinary symptoms. . The greater the size of WC the larger the volume of the prostate and higher the values of prostate-specific antigen and International Prostate Symptom Score. All this shows the worsened lower urinary tract symptoms in obese men. .
Several mechanisms may help to link obesity and BPH. They all work together, contributing to the worsening of the BPH symptoms independently of each other.
Symptoms Of Prostatitis Can Include:
- needing to pee urgently, often in the middle of the night
- pain when peeing or after you ejaculate
- blood in your urine
- a feeling of heaviness behind your scrotum
- a urinary blockage, which means you cant pee when you need to.
There are different types of prostatitis. Bacterial prostatitis is caused by a bacterial infection, and can be treated with antibiotics. Then theres chronic prostatitis, or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Doctors dont know yet what causes this condition, but it can be trigged by things like an injury, nerve damage or stress.
Also Check: Tamsulosin Side Effects Ejaculation
Masturbation And Prostate Cancer
Some research suggests that regular ejaculation may lower the risk of prostate cancer, though doctors arent exactly sure why.
A 2016 study found the risk of prostate cancer decreased by about 20 percent in men who ejaculated at least 21 times a month. A 2003 study also discovered a similar link between frequent ejaculation and lower prostate cancer risk.
Theres no evidence, though, that ejaculating regularly protects against advanced prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Diagnoses And Treatment
All cancer is complex, but prostate cancer testing and treatment is particularly complicated.
In some men with prostate cancer, the cancer will grow very slowly, and wont significantly affect them during their lifetime. Other mens prostate cancer can grow and spread very quickly. At the moment, there is no test that can tell what type of prostate cancer a man has when he is diagnosed.
Because some treatments for prostate cancer can cause side effects which might impact on quality of life, its important for men to discuss with their doctor all their options for testing and treatment, and to discuss these with their partners and families. These might include watchful waiting, which means waiting to see what the cancer does over time, radiation, surgery or taking medications.
You can read more about what kinds of questions to ask your doctors about prostate cancer testing and treatment on the Cancer Council website.
Don’t Miss: Flomax Retrograde Ejaculation Treatment
Frequent Sex And Masturbation In 20s And 30s Linked To Higher Prostate Cancer But Risks Diminish With Age
- Date:
- Wiley – Blackwell
- Summary:
- Men who are very sexually active in their twenties and thirties are more likely to develop prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate frequently, according to a new study.
Men who are very sexually active in their twenties and thirties are more likely to develop prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate frequently, according to a study of more than 800 men.
However the UK research team also found that frequent sexual activity in a mans forties appears to have little effect and even small levels of activity in a mans fifties could offer protection from the disease. Most of the differences were attributed to masturbation rather than sexual intercourse.
The study, led by the University of Nottingham, looked at the sexual practices of more than 431 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60, together with 409 controls.
Men who took part in the study were asked about all aspects of their sex life from their twenties onwards, including how old they were when they became sexually active, how often they masturbated and had intercourse, how many sexual partners they had had and whether they had had any sexually transmitted diseases.
We were keen to look at the links between sexual activity and younger men as a lot of prostate cancer studies focus on older men as the disease is more prevalent in men over 50 says lead author Dr Polyxeni Dimitropoulou, who is now at the University of Cambridge.
Story Source:
What Is The Prostate
Unfortunately, we rarely hear about the prostate outside of the context of cancer. Yet, it is an extremely important gland for your health and sexual function.
The prostate sits just beneath your bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports urine from the bladder and semen to the penis. This glands main job is to produce the fluid that makes semen by mixing with sperm from your testicles. The prostate regulates the viscosity of your semen too, by adding a protein that makes it more watery.
You might know that testosterone plays a role in maintaining your prostates health. Alongside regulating your sex drive and your muscle mass, testosterone is often used to treat prostate cancer too.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Definition Of Prostate Gland
Masturbation Ejaculation And Prostate Cancer
One study found that men who reported more than 21 ejaculations per month had a 31 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than men who reported four to seven ejaculations a month. Other studies looking for a link between ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer have yielded conflicting results, however.
Masturbation May Increase Risk Of Prostate Cancer
ByLive Science Staff26 January 2009
Editor’s Note:This story was revised Jan. 28, 2008 after an email interview with the study’s lead author Polyxeni Dimitropoulou to address concerns that this research produced markedly different results than some previous studies on the topic.
A new study finds men who are sexually active in their 20s and 30s are more likely to develop prostate cancer especially if they masturbate frequently.
The message, perhaps: Hold off until middle age.
The study also found that frequent sexual activity in a man’s 40s appears to have little effect and even small levels of sexual activity in a man’s 50s could offer protection from the disease. Most of the differences were attributed to masturbation rather than sexual intercourse.
However, some previous studies had generated much different findings. The bottom line: More study is needed to settle this one.
The study, led by the University of Nottingham, looked at the sexual practices of more than 431 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60, together with 409 controls who do not have prostate cancer.
Among men with prostate cancer, 34 percent had masturbated frequently in their 20s, compared to 24 percent among the control group. A similar spread was found for men in their 30s.
The results, based on questionnaires, are detailed in the journal BJU International .
Other findings:
Read Also: What Happens To The Prostate Later In Life
Treatments And Prevention Of Constipation
Probiotics, high fiber diets and stool softeners are all ways to avoid constipation, says Dr. Rice.
Probiotics are found in live culture yogurt and kefir, and in the form of pills. Foods high in fiber include lentils, peas, fruits and vegetables.
A sedentary lifestyle promotes constipation.
If you have a desk job, get up every 45 minutes or so and walk around for a few minutes.
If you dont have a workout regimen, then start one. Excessive inertia is a risk factor for constipation.
For more information on the UTI Tracker, you can go to utitracker.com.
Dr. Rice is with Inova Medical Group in Fairfax, VA, and her clinical interests include bladder, kidney and prostate cancer, minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. Shes also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Also Check: Perineuronal Net
Masturbation And Prostate Cancer: An Established Link
Whilst the evidence seems persuasive, its by no means categorical. Rather, subsequent studies have confused the picture once more.
A 2008 study, for example, found the opposite that a higher frequency of ejaculation in younger men led to an increased risk of prostate cancer before the age of 60. The numbers here were quite dramatic: compared to men who did it less than once a month, those who masturbated up to 7 times a week had a 79% higher risk of cancer.
The results of these studies do not show a certain link between ejaculation per se and cancer. Instead, frequent masturbation might point to other factors that themselves affect the risk of cancer. For example, men who masturbate more frequently might have higher testosterone, which appears to play a role in the development of prostate cancer.
You May Like: Prostate Gland Definition
Other Causes Of Prostate Cancer
While masturbation and testosterone levels may affect your chances, there are other factors that we know for sure play a role. For example, as with all cancers, older men are much more likely to develop prostate cancer than younger men.
Your genetics are one of the most important risk factors for prostate cancer too. If you have people in your family that have developed prostate cancer, you are more likely to develop it yourself. Interestingly, if people in your family have had breast cancer, your chance of developing prostate cancer is increased too.
Obesity is another risk factor that deserves a mention. One study found that men with obesity were 20% more likely to develop prostate cancer than lean men, whilst those severely obese were 34% more likely. Unfortunately, however, obese men are more likely to develop particularly aggressive forms of prostate cancer too.
What Is Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in men after skin cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that 174,650 men in the US will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2019, and 31,620 men will die from the disease . Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, a walnut-sized organ that sits between the bladder and the penis, right in front of the rectum. The prostate produces seminal fluid, which nourishes and transports sperm during ejaculation. According to the American Cancer Society, its not yet clear what causes prostate cancer though the clearest risk factors include age, a family history of the disease and being African American. Of course, these are things you cant change, but there are some other risk factors that you can. These include eating a diet that is lower in saturated fat , exercising regularly , and maintaining a healthy weight . These are pretty standard recommendations, of course. Upping how often you ejaculate, less so. But that could change.
Over 500 generic drugs, each $5 per month
Switch to Ro Pharmacy to get your prescriptions filled for just $5 per month each .
Also Check: What Color Represents Prostate Cancer
Does Having More Ejaculations Lessen The Chance Of Prostate Cancer
For reasons not fully known, ejaculating more may lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Ejaculating after all, based upon some studies, through sexual intercourse or masturbation, does not seem to protect against higher risk prostate cancers. The studies do not sort out between ejaculating during sexual intercourse or masturbation, and the effect of each on prostate cancer.
One study followed 32,000 men for 18 years. It found men who ejaculated the most had a 20% lower chance of prostate cancer vs. those who ejaculated 4 to 7 times a month. The more the number increased per month, the lower their risk. Other studies have found ejaculation rate has no impact on prostate cancer rates.
Ejaculation may protect the prostate by flushing out harmful chemicals that build up in semen. It is also possible ejaculation does not actually protect against prostate cancer. Men who ejaculate more may have healthier lifestyle habits that decrease their odds of being diagnosed with the disease. Additionally, ejaculating may only reduce the risk in men in certain age groups.
The bottom line is more research is needed before we know for sure whether more ejaculation reduces the risk of prostate cancer.
Dr. Anne Calvaresi is the chair of the Urology Care Foundation’s Prostate Health Committee. She works in Philadelphia and specializes in urology and prostate health.