Prostate Cancer Research Centre 2014

Diet Implications for Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Infographic

© Prostatecanceruk.org 2014

Links between diet and prostate cancer have been much debated in recent years. The latest advice is that there is evidence to suggest what you eat can help prevent this potentially fatal disease. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers amongst men living in the Western world. You can now also get a Prostate home testing kit to put your mind at ease.

Why Is Prostate Cancer Linked to Foods?

It is now believed that the high fat content of the typical Western diet is one contributor to prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is known to be genetic but research has shown that in countries where the overall consumption of saturated fat is high, there are a proportionally higher number of cases of this disease.

What is Your Prostate?

The prostate is a gland that produces prostatic fluid, one of the components of seminal fluid. Symptoms of potential problems in the cells of the gland include the following: lower back pain, pain in the pelvis area, pain while urinating, needing to urinate frequently, difficulties in beginning to urinate and/or breaks in the flow of urine, as well as blood in the urine or semen.

If you suffer from any of the above, you should see your doctor about being screened. The condition is slow developing and treatable if caught early enough. Being aware of how much saturated fat you are consuming is also very important. Red meat is thought to be the main culprit here as it is often very high in saturated fat. Dairy products are also a concern.

Make sure you are eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables as a high fat content also exposes you to heart disease and other life threatening conditions.

What's the Key?

As discussed. the Western diet is higher in saturated fat and therefore thought to have an effect on prostate cancer. Studies have shown that both for men that have a vegetarian diet and for Japanese males the rate of prostate cancers is lowest. The explanation for this could be that both have a very low fat content as well as containing high levels of specific nutrients such as Lycopene and Selenium.

Both the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund believe that these two nutrients are key to helping protect your body against prostate cancer.

Looking at foods specifically, diets that are also very high in Lycopene-containing foods will help protect against prostate cancer according to AICR.

1. Guava Fruit - 5204µg per 100g
2. Watermelon - 4532µg per 100g
3. Cooked Tomatoes - 3041µg per 100g
4. Papaya - 1828µg per 100g
5. Grapefruit - 1135µg per 100g
6. Cooked Sweet Red Peppers - 484µg per 100g
7. Cooked Asparagus - 30µg per 100g
8. Red Cabbage - 20µg per 100g
9. Mango - 3µg per 100g
10. Carrots - 1µg per 100g

In Summary

Look out for the key signs of early prostate cancer as per the details above and reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. There are ways to improve your diet that will increase the Lycopene - a nutrient known to help prevent Prostate Cancer.

Further Reading

Prostate Cancer UK - http://prostatecanceruk.org

American Institute for Cancer Research - http://www.aicr.org/learn-more-about-cancer/prostate-cancer/