Studies On Calorie Intake
There are studies that have shown the effects of different calorie intake values on prostate cancer risk. In one study, researchers considered two groups of people. The first group consumed a minimum of 2,439 calories on a daily basis. The second group consumed a maximum of 1,322 calories per day.
Following statistical research, it was found that a higher calorie consumption increases the risk related to prostate cancer. The risk for localized prostate cancer increased by 115% among those who consumed more than 2,439 calories each day this data was compared to the group who consumed a low number of calories.
Another study considered the difference between a diet that included 1,064 calories and another diet that had 2,624 or more calories. The risk of prostate cancer was four times higher among the men who consumed the higher number of calories.
With these factors in mind, it is important that men consider their calorie intake, along with the food they consume. Eating too many calories may negatively impact the prostate gland and essentially increase the likeliness of cancer cells growing in this part of the body.
Increase Your Vitamin D
Most people dont get enough vitamin D. It can help protect against prostate cancer and many other conditions. Vitamin D-rich foods include cod liver oil, wild salmon and dried shitake mushrooms. Since the sun is a better, more readily available source of vitamin D, many experts recommend getting 10 minutes of sun exposure every day. Doctors often recommend vitamin D supplements. However, you should talk to your doctor before taking any vitamin or supplement.
Where To Turn For Help With Your Diet
If you haven’t already, ask your doctor for a referral to see a dietitian. Many cancer treatment facilities have a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition to help guide you through your cancer nutrition needs.
Christie stresses the need for individualized nutrition. “Depending on where the individual with prostate cancer is in their journey and the side effects they may experience because of their treatment, sometimes adjustments to foods or your daily food routine may be necessary to ensure optimal nutrition.”
Meeting with an oncology dietitian can address allergies, medication interactions and how to get the best nutrition for your cancer treatment plan.
Some people have found success by following certain types of diets, such as the macrobiotic diet, which is essentially a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains â however, it has been known to also restrict important nutrients too. If this is a diet you are considering, speaking with a dietitian is crucial to make sure you’re meeting your unique nutritional needs.
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What Foods Are Good For Your Prostate Eat Your Veggies
Growing up, our parents always forced us to eat our veggies lest we miss out on delicious desserts .
It turns out our parents werent just telling us a fairytale at the dinner table. A diet rich in plants and vegetables has shown to be most beneficial not just for everyday life, but for aiding and preventing against different types of cancer as well. This is also true when it comes to foods that are good for your prostate.
In fact, reports from the American Institute of Cancer Research show that healthy diet and lifestyle behaviors, with a focus on a plant-based diet, can help prevent 40% of cancer cases.
Making sure to eat your colors has long since been a healthy way to approach a lifestyle, but recent scientific breakthroughs have shined more light on a particular combination of veggies that could prove to be especially powerful against prostate cancer.
How To Adjust To The Dietary Needs Of The Person With Prostate Cancer
While these general recommendations ensure a healthy diet, you can play with which foods you choose and how you prepare them so that your meals are appealing and flavorful while also meeting your dietary needs.
Curb weight loss. If youre losing your appetite and losing weight, think again about what youre cooking and how youre preparing food. Experiment with seasoning foods differently so they taste better, or adding sauces and herbs to mask certain flavors. And cook with higher-calorie ingredients that dont require eating large portions to meet caloric needs.
Manage fiber intake for diarrhea relief. Loose stools, bleeding from the rectum, and loss of control over bowel movements happen to some men after getting external beam radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Several foods can help if this happens to you. Choose fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The Prostate Cancer Foundation says its a bit of a balancing act when it comes to fiber, but recommends avoiding foods that might irritate your stomach while trying to keep up your consumption of fiber-rich foods to avoid getting constipated.
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Drink Less And Quit Smoking
Cut down on booze, and start early : Guys who drank at least seven drinks per week between ages 15 to 49 years had a more than threefold greater likelihood of developing fast-growing prostate cancer than guys who did not drink, according to a cancer prevention research. The good news is that its never too late to start a good habit and avoid hangovers.
Quit smoking: The Prostate Cancer Canada charitable organization, which is always an excellent source for info on the topic, points to preliminary research showing that smoking may be a risk factor for prostate cancer. Kicking the habit is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Why not do it anyway? Were here to help.
What good foods do you eat to protect your prostate and improve your sex drive? Share your tips in the below.
Research On The Relationship Between Diet And Prostate Cancer
There are a few studies that have looked at this potential link. These studies have found that what a person eats does seem to impact their likeliness to develop cancer. One study, in particular, considered the effect of diet on IGF-I levels in the human body. The study only lasted for 11 days but offered valuable insight.
The participants in the study were introduced to the Pritikin diet. This diet focuses on whole grains, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Fat content in the diet is much lower than some of the other diets that people tend to follow. All participants in the study were men.
IGF-I was tested before and after the study. A significant reduction in IGF-I was found after the male participants followed this diet for just 11 days.
IGF-I is a factor that is related to the risk of cancer in the body. There is a relation between IGF-I and prostate cancer too.
Current evidence suggests that a special diet may be able to:
- Reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men
- Reduce the likeliness of prostate cancer progressing
- Improve the outcome of a prostate cancer treatment plan
With these factors in mind, men should learn about the foods that promote prostate health while also fighting against cancer. Additionally, a man needs to understand what foods in their diet contribute to a higher likeliness of this disease.
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Food For Prostate Health Bottom Line
The prostate rarely bothers men before they turn 50. However, its important to take care of it long before it sends the first signals of something going wrong. We all know that prevention is always better than treatment. And while we cannot influence other factors promoting prostate issues, like family history, genetics, and age, we can definitely take control of what we eat and make sure we do all possible to stay healthy.
More On Prostate Cancer:
This article describing some of the best foods to eat for prostate cancer prevention is one in a series of articles on prostate cancer and nutrition. To learn more about how eating certain foods can help prevent prostate cancer, continue to the article 12 Diet Tips to Fight Prostate Cancer. If youre interested in recipes that help prevent prostate cancer, be also sure to check out our collection of Prostate Cancer Fighting Recipes.
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Food For Fighting Prostate Cancer
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly red ones, could be beneficial.
Registered dietitian Julie Bouwman is a fan of keeping food simple and natural, an approach that can improve your health in a variety of ways.
One way is fighting cancer.
We asked Bouwman, who works for Kaiser Permanente in Colorado, to share which foods you should eat and which you should avoid if you want to help prevent prostate cancer, which affects about 13 out of 100 men at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What kind of diet should men follow if they want to try to lower their risk of prostate cancer?
There has been research linking lowered risk of prostate cancer with a higher intake of lycopene, an antioxidant thought to have anti-cancer properties. Lycopene is found in red fruits and vegetables, particularly in tomato and tomato products. Carrots, grapefruit, red bell pepper, and pomegranates also contain lycopene. In general, its a good idea to have a healthy diet that includes 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
You are not a fan of processed food but are there any processed foods that are OK to eat?
When it comes to lycopene-rich foods, its OK to eat tomato paste, ketchup, or sundried tomatoes, all of which are processed. In fact, lycopene in processed tomato products is more easily absorbed than when you eat tomatoes whole or raw.
Five Foods To Protect Your Prostate
Good news if youre worried about your prostate health: What you eat can make a difference. There is plenty of strong evidence that good nutrition and an active lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer and slow its progression, says Mitchell Sokoloff M.D., Chair of the Department of Urology and Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
There are a few categorical changes you can make to your diet that make a big difference in overall health, as well as prostate health. What you eat can potentially disadvantage your prostate health e.g. foods you might want to avoid or protect the prostate in various ways. The Science of Living Well, Beyond Cancer recommends a diet that is high in colorful vegetables, low in sugar and processed carbohydrates, and moderate in animal-based protein . Some might refer to this as a version of the Mediterranean Diet. PCF-funded epidemiologist Lorelei Mucci, M.P.H., Sc.D., at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health notes that people in Mediterranean countries not only eat more vegetables and fruits they also eat less fatty foods, processed food, and red meat categories that can increase insulin resistance, increase inflammation, raise cardiovascular risk and be a part of a dietary pattern that may increase obesity, as well.
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Whats A Prostate Cancer Diet
The truth is, theres no specific diet that will help you prevent or treat prostate cancer, according to sources such as the University of California at San Francisco . That said, good nutrition may be associated with a lower risk of developing cancer, along with reduced risk of the disease progressing after a diagnosis.
However, the research is still out on whether your diet can really impact prostate cancer risk and prognosis. Steven Canfield, MD, the chief of urology for McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston , and the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, says that while there have been a lot of studies looking at specific diets for prostate cancer, they havent been very revealing. Unfortunately, he says, none of them have really panned out to show any significant prevention.
But he adds an exception: It does seem to be that whats good for your heart is good for your prostate.
The UCSF cancer center developed diet guidelines for prostate cancer that recommend plentiful intake of a wide variety of vegetables and whole grains, healthy , and healthy fats .
If these diet recommendations sound a lot like the Mediterranean Diet, your instincts are right: Theres evidence that this food plan helps lower risk of death from prostate cancer.
Skip grilling. Cooking meat at high temperatures like grilling produces a carcinogen called PhIP. If you do prepare meats on the grill, turn the meat often to minimize the char buildup .
Stay Active To Support Prostate Health
In addition to eating a healthy diet, you should stay active. Regular exercise pares down your risk of developing some deadly problems, including heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. And although relatively few studies have directly assessed the impact of exercise on prostate health, those that have been done have concluded, for the most part, that exercise is beneficial. For example:
Get more information and the latest news about prostate health at www.HarvardProstateKnowledge.org.
Image: jacoblund/Getty Images
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Nutrition And Prostate Cancer
Differences in diet and lifestyle may account for the variability of prostate cancer rates in different countries. Good nutrition may reduce the incidence of prostate cancer and help reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression. There are many lifestyle studies currently being conducted to further understand how diet and prostate cancer are related.
We do know that improved nutrition reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and usually improves overall quality of life. It’s estimated that a third of cancer deaths in the United States can be attributed to diet in adults, including diet’s effect on obesity. Additionally, a healthy diet helps to increase energy levels, facilitate recovery and enhance the immune system.
Researchers conducted an 11-day study where men followed the Pritikin program. The Pritikin program includes a diet that is high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains and very low in fat. This diet is used in combination with 60 minutes of daily exercise. Serum IGF-I decreased by 20 percent after following the program for 11 days. Higher IGF-I values previously have been associated with higher risk for various cancers, including prostate cancer. This reduction in IGF-I may be related to the lower serum insulin levels observed with a healthy, low-fat, plant-based diet and regular exercise.
Can It Be Prevented
Cancer-survivor Barry Young, president of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand, recommends a few basic steps to lower the risk of prostate cancer. He says having a healthy diet, not over-indulging in any particular thing, and not smoking are the best things men can do. It seems sensible to follow a diet low in meat and to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, says Mr Young, but there is no magic preventive ingredient or dietary cure for prostate cancer.
Still, the major report of the World Cancer Research Fund in 2007 shows the medical world now takes diet very seriously in cancer. The report confirms the importance for preventing cancer of exercise, normal weight and plant foods. It also cautions on the amounts of meat, fat, sugar and alcohol we consume.
The report also places a question-mark over processed meat and says there is a limited suggestion here of increased risk of prostate cancer.
Christchurch-based dietitian Julie Beadel has a special interest in nutrition and cancer. She puts it this way: A balanced diet every day, based on the four food groups is your best bet for reducing cancer risk. She says the best sources of nutrients for cancer prevention are nutrient-rich whole foods and healthful beverages.
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Highly Processed Foods And Drinks
“In terms of cancer prevention and survivorship, the recommendations from the American Institute for Cancer Research do suggest limiting consumption of fast foods or other foods high in fats, starches or sugars,” Christie says.
She also recommends that her patients limit sugar-sweetened drinks and processed meats, including bacon, sausage, hot dogs, lunch meat and ham.
Should You Be Taking a Vitamin or Supplement?
It’s best to get your vitamins from food sources rather than supplements, according to the PCF, which recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
How To Add More Fish To Your Diet
Adding more omega-3s to your diet can be as easy as cracking open a can of sardines or tuna. Not everyone is so enthusiastic about fish, though. Plus, it can also be expensive.
If you havent enjoyed fish in the past, try a different type. Each one has a unique flavor. The flavor is also milder if the fish is fresh, so you may enjoy fish more if you buy it from a fish counter and make it that day.
Cod, flounder, and trout have milder flavors. Try topping your fish with a lemon sauce or adding it to another prostate-friendly food. For example, you could try baked cod in a tomato sauce.
To stretch your dollar, you can also add fish to dishes like pasta, soup, salad, or sandwiches. That way you wont need as much fish to make a complete meal.
You can also ask your healthcare provider about taking omega-3 supplements.
Summary
Fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel, contain healthful omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds may help keep the prostate healthy, though more studies are needed.
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