Is Chocolate Bad For Prostate Cancer

Research On Milk And Cancer

There is no evidence that suggests that you should not drink milk if you have cancer. According to a study published in the October 2004 issue of “The New England Journal of Medicine,” there is a link between height and breast cancer. Apparently, milk during childhood can contribute to a greater height but it may also increase the risk of breast cancer. The 2004 study does not show any correlation between current milk consumption and breast cancer.

*recipe For Black Bean And Corn Soup

• 28-ounce can of low-sodium crushed tomato and basil
• 8 ounces of low-sodium tomato juice
• 16-ounce can of rinsed black beans
• 16-ounce can of rinsed white beans
• 16-ounce can of rinsed kidney beans
• 16-ounce can of sweet corn
• 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
• ½ teaspoon of rosemary
• ½ teaspoon cracked red pepper flakes

Mix ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Serves 4.

What Are The Risks

There are numerous risks to consider when using a protein powder. Among them:

• A protein powder is a dietary supplement. The FDA leaves it up to manufacturers to evaluate the safety and labeling of products. So, there’s no way to know if a protein powder contains what manufacturers claim.
• We don’t know the long-term effects. “There are limited data on the possible side effects of high protein intake from supplements,” McManus says.
• It may cause digestive distress. “People with dairy allergies or trouble digesting lactose can experience gastrointestinal discomfort if they use a milk-based protein powder,” McManus points out.
• It may be high in added sugars and calories. Some protein powders have little added sugar, and others have a lot . Some protein powders wind up turning a glass of milk into a drink with more than 1,200 calories. The risk: weight gain and an unhealthy spike in blood sugar. The American Heart Association recommends a limit of 24 grams of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams for men.

You May Like: Why Would An Enlarged Prostate Gland Interfere With Urination

Include Calcium And Vitamin D In Your Diet

You need calcium in your diet every day to keep your bones and teeth strong and your muscles and nerves healthy. When youre not getting enough calcium from your diet, your body takes calcium from your bones. This can make your bones weak and brittle and cause a disease called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis puts you at greater risk for bone fractures.

Here are tips for getting more calcium in your diet:

• Have at least 2 to 3 servings of skim or low-fat dairy every day. Include milk, yogurt, or cheese. If you have trouble eating lactose , try lactose-free products, such as Lactaid® milk or soy products.
• Almonds, leafy greens, soybeans, canned sardines, and salmon are also good sources of calcium.
• Foods such as cereals and orange juice usually have added calcium.
• Many people, including women during menopause, need calcium supplements. Speak with your doctor or a dietitian to find out more about your calcium needs.

Your body needs vitamin D so it can absorb the calcium in your diet. Vitamin D is found in dairy products and some fatty fishes. Your body can also make vitamin D from sunlight. Most people get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. But, if you dont spend much time outside or if you usually keep your skin covered , you may need to take a vitamin D supplement.

Daily recommended intake

The table below lists the daily amount of calcium and vitamin D you need per day based on your age.

IU=International Units

Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer In Men

With painful ejaculation among prostate cancer symptoms, the disease can put a damper on your sex life. Other symptoms include:

• Difficulty urinating
• Frequent urination, especially at night
• Burning or pain when urinating
• Inability to urinate or difficulty starting or stopping urine flow
• Blood in the urine or semen

Its important to note that symptoms arent always presentespecially in the early stages of prostate cancerwhich is another reason to talk to your doctor if youre over 40.

Read Also: What Is The Prostate Used For

Other Health Benefits Of Bananas

The health benefits of bananas are truly numerous, and they go beyond their positive effect on prostate wellbeing. Some of the most significant health benefits of bananas include:

• Better heart health, reduced risk of heart disease
• Blood pressure management
• Promoting colon and digestive health
• Supporting weight loss
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Better kidney health
• Aiding exercise recovery

Bananas are also easy to add to your diet. The weight loss benefits of bananas could act as yet another mechanism through which these long fruits support prostate health. After all, excess weight increases the risk of prostate cancer and enlarged prostate.

Eating bananas make you feel full and thereby suppresses your appetite. As a result, you consume fewer calories. This is important because calorie deficit is the cornerstone of successful weight loss. By helping you slim down or maintain weight in a healthy range, bananas could indirectly lower the risk of common prostate diseases.

So What Are The Key Points You Should Take Away From This

• Alcohol plays a contributing role in worsening the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate
• Follow Canadian Guidelines for alcohol consumption no more than 15 drinks a week. This includes defining what a âdrinkâ actually is:
• 5oz of wine
• 1.5oz of liquor
• 12oz or beer, ciders, or coolers

Recommended Reading: How Do Prostate Cancer Patients Die

Also Check: What Happens When Your Prostate Is Removed

Foods To Avoid: Caffeine

Avoiding or limiting your caffeine intake, including coffee, tea, energy drinks and fizzy drinks, is another thing that can make a big difference to your urinary health.

Caffeine has a diuretic effect which means it can increase the urge to go to the toilet. On top of this, drinking these beverages, especially late at night, can irritate the bladder and so will make it more likely that you’ll need to use the loo. As it is difficult for men with an enlarged prostate to empty their bladder completely anyway, consuming caffeinated drinks will only add to the problem.

There are now so many caffeine-free drinks available that it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge to swap your usual brew for something a little kinder to your bladder.

Chamomile tea is particularly beneficial as it has anti-inflammatory properties. If you favour coffee, though, then Bambu, our caffeine-free coffee, is a great alternative.

On top of this, another important drink for your prostate is water. It’s vital you stay well hydrated if you suffer from the condition but remember not to drink anything at least 2 hours before bedtime.

The Best Foods For Prostate Health

The prostate gland is an integral part of the male reproductive system. About the size of a walnut, it continues to change and grow during a mans lifetime. Maintaining prostate health should be of maximum importance to all men if they want to lead a long and healthy life.

Lets look at three medical issues that can arise as a result of the prostate gland, and some recommendations for the best foods for prostate health.

You May Like: What Side Effects Does Having Your Prostate Removed

Bowel Problems When To Seek Help

Radiotherapy to the prostate gland can change the way your bowel works. Bowel motions may be more frequent and loose. Changing what you eat can help with this.

Radiotherapy to the prostate gland can affect tissue and other organs in the pelvic area, causing more long term side effects. Speak to your doctor if you:

• need to poo at night
• need to rush to the loo to have a bowel movement, or you dont make it in time
• have bleeding from your back passage
• have other bowel symptoms that interfere with you living an active full life

You may not be able to follow a healthy balanced diet completely if you have these types of changes. Speak to your doctor or dietitian for help and advice about how to adapt your diet.

Tips For Cutting Back On Caffeine

Kicking caffeine to the curb may help your BPH symptoms, but doing so can be challenging. Caffeine is a stimulant, and its often addictive. Learn more about the effects of caffeine on the body.

• difficulty concentrating
• flu-like symptoms

Here are some tips to help lessen your caffeine intake and reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms:

• Keep a journal. Knowing how much caffeine you have each day, including caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, medications, and foods, can help you cut back. You may be having more than you realize.
• Dont quit cold turkey. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to be more severe. Instead, gradually reduce your caffeine intake. For example, if you have two cups of coffee each morning, have one instead or make yourself a cup that is half decaf and half regular coffee.
• Brew for less. You can easily reduce the amount of caffeine in your morning cup of coffee by simply brewing it for less time.
• Cut the caffeine. Try herbal or decaf teas instead of regular tea.
• Get enough rest. If youre overly tired, you may be more tempted to turn to caffeine for a quick pick-me-up.
• Take a walk. If you feel tired during the day, try walking for 5 to 10 minutes. This may give you a boost of energy and help you avoid that extra cup of coffee.

Treatment for BPH varies. You may not need treatment, or you may need medication or surgery. In addition to limiting caffeine, you may benefit from these lifestyle habits:

You May Like: What Can You Do About Enlarged Prostate

The Positive Effects Of Coffee

Milan Geybels, a previous student at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author of the study, says the results of this study differ from those of other studies looking at the same link, as the researchers used a composite definition of prostate cancer recurrence/progression. He adds:

We used detailed information on follow-up prostate-specific antigen levels, use of secondary treatment for prostate cancer and data from scans and biopsies to assess the occurrence of metastases and cause-specific mortality during follow up.

Using these detailed data, we could determine whether a patient had evidence of prostate cancer recurrence or progression.

Additionally, the study also revealed that biological activities that are therefore linked to the consumption of phytochemical compounds that are found in coffee could practically exhibit both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

These are the main characteristic derived from the consumption of coffee that is very helpful to prostate health.

The researchers also mentioned that the phytochemical compounds present include the following functions in the body. The naturally-occurring compounds are discussed below:

• Caffeine, which can inhibit cell growth and encourage apoptosis.
• Diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, which can inhibit cancer growth.
• Chlorogenic acid, which can inhibit DNA methylation.

Monitor The Fat In Your Diet

Some fat in our diets is necessary and healthy. There are different types of fat. Some are healthier than others.

Fat is calorie-dense. One gram of fat has more than 9 calories, while 1 gram of a carbohydrate or a protein has 4 calories. Therefore, high-fat foods have a lot of calories in a small amount of food. If youre trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss, this is important.

For some medical conditions, limiting fat may be helpful. However, for most people, there is no need to avoid fat. What is important is to avoid eating too many calories and to choose healthier types of fats.

Your fat intake should be about 20% to 35% of your calories. This is about 40 to 70 grams of fat per day for a 1,800 calorie diet.

The type of fat you eat can be as important as the amount.

Types of cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance. Its found only in foods that come from an animal source, such as meat, eggs, and dairy. Cholesterol travels in the blood in packages called lipoproteins. There are 2 types of lipoproteins: good and bad.

• Low-density lipoprotein is bad cholesterol. It can clog your arteries and cause heart disease.
• High-density lipoprotein is good cholesterol. It takes cholesterol out of your body.

Types of fats

Limiting the amount of saturated fat you eat can keep your heart healthy and make it easier to maintain your weight. Choose mostly monounsaturated fats. These fats are described below.

• Flax seeds

You May Like: How Often To Milk Prostate

Selenium And Vitamin E

Selenium and vitamin E are antioxidants studied in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial for their possible role in prostate cancer prevention.

• The study found that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, didnt prevent prostate cancer. People taking vitamin E alone actually had a small increase in their risk of developing prostate cancer.
• We dont recommend taking selenium or vitamin E supplements. Get your selenium and vitamin E intake by eating foods such as seafood, whole grains, vegetable oil, margarine, nuts, seeds, eggs, whole grain breads, and cereals.

Are There Any Foods I Should Eat Less Of

You may have heard that eating a lot of certain foods may be harmful for men with prostate cancer, including:

• dairy foods and calcium
• red or processed meat
• fatty foods.

With all of these foods, some studies have suggested they might be harmful for men with prostate cancer, but other studies havent found a link. This means we cant say for sure whether eating less of these foods can help.

Theres no need to cut these foods out of your diet completely. We need more research to fully understand their effect on prostate cancer, but you can still eat most of these foods in moderate amounts as part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends avoiding processed meat, as it can increase your risk of some other types of cancer.

Recommended Reading: How Do They Take Out Your Prostate

The Effects Of Salt Coffee And Sugar On The Prostate

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland positioned in the middle of the bladder and the penis. With age, men are likely to face prostate gland issues. The prostate secretes a fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate pushes this fluid into the urethra and it is ejected with sperm as semen. As men age, problems can arise in the prostate gland, including cancer. Most prostate problems are benign, however. Benign prostate enlargement , also known as , benign prostatic hyperplasia, is a condition that affects older men. Its mainly common among men over 60 years of age and isnt usually a serious threat to health. The most common symptoms include urinary complications or discomfort when urinating. It can be treated well if detected in the early stages, otherwise it is more like a slow-emerging cancer. There are certain foods that aggrevate or alleviate prostate problems. It is important to discuss with your healthcare professional for proper advice.

Also Check: Best Treatment For Intermediate Prostate Cancer

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.

You May Like: A& w Root Beer Have Caffeine

Also Check: How To Find The Prostate Gland Video

Coffee May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk

Study Shows Regular Drinking of Decaf or Caffeinated Coffee May Protect Against Prostate Cancer

May 17, 2011 â Men who drink coffee regularly appear to lower their risk of prostate cancer, especially the lethal form, new research suggests.

When the researchers looked at all forms of prostate cancer, âthe highest coffee drinkers had about a 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer during the follow-up,â says researcher Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The 20% lower risk was found in those drinking six or more cups daily compared to none, she tells WebMD.

Coffee protected even more against the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Among those drinking one to three cups a day, the risk of lethal prostate cancer declined 29%, compared to that of nondrinkers. Among those drinking six or more cups daily, the risk for deadly prostate cancer was reduced 60% compared to that of nondrinkers.

The surprise: the risk reduction held for both regular coffee and decaf, leading the researchers to speculate itâs not the caffeine providing the protection.

The study is published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Other research has found coffee can lower the risk of Parkinsonâs disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and liver cancer.

Read Also: Prostate Cancer Gene Test Helps Patients Decide On Treatment