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Prostate Cancer Prevention

You can't prevent prostate cancer just by taking vitamins or supplements, but growing evidence says changing your diet and behavior could lower your risk.

Visit the Research section for new studies about prevention.

On this page:

• Best Foods
• Worst Foods
• Obesity
• Cholesterol
• Exercise
• Sexual Behavior
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Vitamins and Supplements

It is hard to determine the impact of a single food in a complex diet, but more large and long term studies are underway to confirm that consuming certain substances actually fights cancer. Speak to your doctor before dramatically increasing your consumption of any one food.

• Soy may be able to reduce PSA levels. Soy is a phytoestrogen, a plant substance that affects the body similarly to the estrogen found in humans. Studies show that men with prostate cancer experienced a dramatic drop in their PSA level when consuming two grams of soy per day. Prostate cancer rates are also low in cultures with high soy consumption.
• Tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene, which may have a big impact on prostate cancer. Some studies have shown that a regular intake of lycopene supplements lowers risk by about 15% while other studies show that consumption of tomatoes lowers risk by as much as 26%.
• Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, believed to have great potential for both cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention. Some scientists believe that rates of cancer in the modern world are largely tied to the drastic imbalances in our diets between Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon and other fatty fish, cold-water fish such as tuna, trout, striped bass, sardines, and herring, and are available in supplement capsules.
• Mushrooms are rich with selenium, believed to lower PSA levels and inhibit tumor growth. While there is a massive study in progress of measuring the impact of selenium and Vitamin E on prostate cancer risk and progression, a large study in the U.K. showed men who regularly took selenium reduced prostate cancer risk by four times.
• 5 servings or more of fruit per day can cut the risk of prostate cancer in half. Fruit helps, in part, by containing fructose which stimulates the body’s ability to create vitamin D, a nutrient believed to reduce prostate cancer risk.
• Consuming about 50 milligrams (75 IU) of vitamin E may reduce risk of prostate cancer by one-third and the death rate by 41%. Vitamin E, found in food including pecans and sesame seeds, may also stimulate the immune system minimizing the growth and spread of cancer.
• Make your tea time. Green tea, in particular, is rich in polyphenols, believed to slow the growth of cancer. Studies are showing that tea reduces the levels of polyamines a substance associated with cancer malignancy.
• Drinking four or more glasses of red wine a week could cut the risk of prostate cancer in half, according to some studies. Red wine had the greatest impact on the most aggressive, fast-spreading prostate tumors, leading to a 60 percent reduction in such cases, researchers found.
• Men who eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cabbage) may be reducing their risk of prostate cancer. Three or more servings a day can reduce risk by as much as 41%. Consumption of 10 grams of allium vegetables, garlic, onions and chives may also reduce your risk of getting prostate cancer. The foods contain flavinoids that have demonstrated reduction in tumor growth in lab studies.

Bad Foods

The “Western Diet” or a diet high in fats and red meat may contribute to higher rates of prostate cancer.

• Avoid the steak and hamburgers. Eating red meat 5x per week could double your risk for prostate cancer, according to studies.
• Limit sweets and desserts. Foods high in calories and sugar can lower metabolism and create problems with obesity which is proving to be a key factor in prostate cancer severity and possibly risk.
• An excess of calcium, found in dairy products, may increase the risk of prostate cancer as the calcium reduces the body’s levels of vitamin D which protects the body from prostate cancer.

Obesity

Men with a body mass index (BMI) of 32.5 or higher are 1/3 more likely to die from prostate cancer.

Men with a BMI of 35 are 60% more likely to have a recurrence of prostate cancer in 3 years. Men with a BMI of 30-39.9 are 20% more likely to have a recurrence of prostate cancer.

Proteins and hormones stored in body fat such as leptin and insulin-like growth factor may promote prostate tumor growth in obese men. Additionally, diets high in fat may promote tumor growth in many cancers.

Further, there are recent studies that indicate doctors may be having a difficult time diagnosing prostate cancer in men who are obese because as the BMI goes up, PSA goes down masking the aggressiveness of the cancer.

Cholesterol

Bad cholesterol may be linked to prostate cancer risk.

Early studies suggest a link between high cholesterol and prostate cancer, as bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) contributes to increases in dyhydrotestosterone or bad testosterone. High levels of testosterone or bad testosterone may impact the chance of having prostate cancer and prostate cancer severity.

Cholesterol plays a role in cell growth in the body and in cancer. Accumulation of cholesterol within the prostate membrane may stimulate signals that promote cancer progression.

Leading researchers are suggesting that doctors should screen for cardiovascular disease along with prostate cancer because evidence is strong enough to indicate a link.

Exercise

Exercise is associated with lower metabolism and weight loss which can contribute to lowering the risk of prostate cancer.

While studies are inconclusive that exercise has a direct impact on prostate cancer risk, exercise results in the temporary reduction in testosterone chief contributor to male hormone dependent cancers such as prostate cancer and helps lower one’s weight when applied with a healthy diet.

By lowering your weight through diet and exercise, PSA levels may go down and some studies suggest that tumor growth is slowed by as much as 30%. However, in order to fully determine direct links to exercise and the reduction of prostate cancer, a long and extensive randomized trial is needed.

Sex

Sex has yet to be proven to increase the risk of prostate cancer.

In fact, studies show that ejaculation 3x per week may reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer by 15%.

As prostate cancer is a testosterone related disease, connections have been sought between it and sexual behavior. High testosterone levels, vasectomy and history of frequent sexual activity have been studied, but not found to increase risk of prostate cancer.

Smoking

We now know smoking can contribute to the growth of prostate cancer tumors.

New studies also show Nicotene may also interfere with the process of chemotherapy.

Supplements

While some supplements may help, nutrients from foods prove more effective.

Studies have shown that supplements of the vitamins and nutrients mentioned above can reduce risk of prostate cancer, but careful attention needs to be paid to product quality and proper dosage.

The best way to consume cancer fighting nutrients is through the foods in which they are found. Comparison studies have shown far better results from whole grains over fiber supplements, cooked and raw tomatoes over lycopene supplements, and so on.

Check out health claims made by supplement manufacturers For example, there is no solid evidence that saw palmetto has a positive effect on prostate cancer risk or severity. Read bottle labels carefully and seek independent evaluation.

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