Obesity and Prostate Cancer

In this section of the website, we'll look at the different food types and discuss which nutrients are most likely to be "prostate-cancer protective." But before we do, we need to address the most crucial dietary problem of all—the fattening of America.

Over the past 40 years, the rate of obesity has been steadily climbing. In 2002, the last year for which the data are available, a whopping 65% of adults in the United States were classified as overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) over the accepted normal of 25. Even more disturbing is that 31% of children were classified as overweight or obese, placing them well above the 95th percentile for normal growth for their age.

Unfortunately, this increase in weight seems unlikely to be offset by an increase in physical activity, as approximately 40% of adults and teenagers do not exercise regularly. The combination of increased food intake and decreased physical activity has taken its toll on Americans and has resulted in increased rates of a variety of diseases, particularly diabetes.

Although the link between obesity and the risk of developing prostate cancer remains unclear, there is no question that obesity can have a negative effect on disease outcomes. Research has shown that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test results in obese men can be lower despite the presence of disease, potentially leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment; recovery from surgery tends to be longer and more difficult; and the risk of dying from prostate cancer can be higher.

Regardless of the nutritional approach that you ultimately choose, weight management must be an essential component of your overall strategy. Increasing your intake of vegetables can be beneficial—but not if they’re swimming in high-fat dressings or sauces. Similarly, nuts can be a great source of some key nutrients but can also be very high in fat and calories.

In addition, it is most important that you be sure to exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes a day at least 3 days each week. Not only will it help to burn off extra calories, but regular stretching exercises will help keep you limber and flexible, while resistance exercises and weight training will help maintain muscle strength and endurance. Walking, jogging, playing tennis or golf, and even gardening can be effective forms of exercise—the key is to stay on the go and stay off the couch.

As you sift through the data on this site and begin to consider what's right for you, don't forget to talk with your doctor or qualified nutritional consultant about how best to incorporate weight management and exercise strategies into your daily routine.

Nutrition & Prostate Cancer

Day after day, the effects of dietary and lifestyle changes on the development and progression of prostate cancer are being discussed and explored by leading researchers in the field.

Which foods and nutrients have been shown to be beneficial for patients with prostate cancer? How reliable are the data for nutritional strategies in prostate cancer? Are there foods or nutrients that might prevent prostate cancer or even prevent or delay a recurrence of the disease?

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Top 10 Considerations for Preventing Prostate Cancer

Top 10 Considerations for Preventing Prostate Cancer

To understand how to prevent prostate cancer, one must first understand what causes it. There are four major factors that influence one's risk for developing prostate cancer, factors which unfortunately cannot be changed.

Age: The average age at diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States is 69 years and after that age the chance of developing prostate cancer becomes more common than any other cancer in men or women.

Race: African Americans have a 40% greater chance of developing prostate cancer and twice the risk of dying from it. Conversely, Asian men who live in Asia have the lowest risk; however when they migrate to the west, their risk increases.

Family history: A man with a father or brother who developed prostate cancer has a twofold increased risk for developing it. This risk is further increased if the cancer was diagnosed at a younger age (less than 55 years of age) or affected three or more family members.

Where you live: The risk of developing prostate cancer for men who live in rural China is 2% and for men in the United States 17%. When Chinese men move to the western culture, their risk increases substantially; men who live north of 40 degrees latitude (north of Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and Provo, Utah) have the highest risk for dying from prostate cancer of any men in the United States – this effect appears to be mediated by inadequate sunlight during three months of the year which reduces vitamin D levels.
Given the facts above, which are difficult to change, there are many things that men can do, however, to reduce or delay their risk of developing prostate cancer. Why is prostate cancer so common in the Western culture and much less so in Asia, and why when Asian men migrate to western countries the risk of prostate cancer increases over time? We believe the major risk factor is diet – foods that produce oxidative damage to DNA. What can you do about it to prevent or delay the onset of the disease?

1. Eat fewer calories or exercise more so that you maintain a healthy weight.
2. Try to keep the amount of fat you get from red meat and dairy products to a minimum.
3. Watch your calcium intake. Do not take supplemental doses far above the recommended daily allowance. Some calcium is OK, but avoid taking more than 1,500 mg of calcium a day.
4. Eat more fish – evidence from two large studies suggest that fish can help protect against prostate cancer because they have "good fat" particularly omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Try to incorporate cooked tomatoes that are cooked with olive oil which has also been shown to be beneficial, and cruciferous vegetables into many of your weekly meals.
6. Eat more soy.
7. Top off your meal with green or black tea.
8. What about supplements? Although selenium and vitamin E have been shown to reduce the frequency of prostate cancer in smokers, the correct dose is tricky. Too much can be harmful. Until we know more about the value of these supplements, do not take more than you'll find in a multivitamin preparation.
9. Eat an apple a day, or better yet, an apple, an orange, a bowl of vegetable soup, tomatoes, broccoli, and maybe some corn on the cob. Try nature's packaging of phytochemicals instead of the health food store. Studies have shown that simply eating an apple a day gives your body far more antioxidant and cancer fighting help than taking megadoses of vitamins.
10. Finally, eating all the broccoli in the world, though it may make a difference in the long run, does not take away your risk of having prostate cancer right now. If you are age 40 or over, if you have a family history of prostate cancer, or African American, you need more than a good diet can guarantee. You need a yearly rectal examination and PSA test.

The Prevention of Prostate Cancer

The ultimate goal of prostate cancer prevention strategies is to prevent men from developing the disease. Unfortunately, despite significant progress in research over the past 15 years, this goal has not yet been achieved. Both genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer have been identified, but the evidence is not yet strong enough to be helpful to men currently at risk for developing prostate cancer.

By contrast, some success has been seen with strategies that can delay the development and progression of prostate cancer. Studies with finasteride and dutasteride, which are typically used for men with the noncancerous condition BPH, have shown that they might play a role in slowing the development of prostate cancer; ongoing studies will help to define the optimal role of these agents.

In the meantime, diet and lifestyle modifications have been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer development and progression, and can help men with prostate cancer live longer and better lives.

Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting 1 in 6 men. The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 15 for ages 60 to 69. In fact, more than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

But the roles of race and family history are important as well. African American men are 61% more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease. Men with a single first-degree relative—father, brother or son—with a history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease, while those with two or more relatives are nearly four times as likely to be diagnosed. The risk is even higher if the affected family members were diagnosed at a young age, with the highest risk seen in men whose family members were diagnosed before age 60.

Although genetics might play a role in deciding why one man might be at higher risk than another, social and environmental factors, particularly diet and lifestyle, likely have an effect as well.

In fact, research in the past few years has shown that diet modification might decrease the chances of developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of having a prostate cancer recurrence, or help slow the progression of the disease.

More information about how dietary and lifestyle changes can affect the risk of prostate cancer development and progression can be found in the Nutrition and Prostate Cancer guide.

When weighing risk factors for prostate cancer, it’s also important to recognize that there are non-risk factors, or factors that have not been linked to an increase in risk.

What Can Go Wrong With the Prostate: Cancer, BPH, and Prostatitis

For most young men, the prostate falls into the category "obscure body parts" that includes the spleen—that is, it's in there someplace, it probably does something useful, but it's best dealt with on a need-to-know basis.

Unfortunately, most men are going to need to know about the prostate sometime, because this little gland is the source of three of the major health problems that affect men: prostate cancer, the most common major cancer in men; benign enlargement of the prostate (BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia), one of the most common benign tumors in men and a source of symptoms for most men as they age; and prostatitis, painful inflammation of the prostate, the most common cause of urinary tract infections in men. Worse, because there's no "statute of limitations" on prostate problems, some men are unlucky enough to endure more than one of these disorders. For example, having BPH or prostatitis doesn't mean a man has "had his prostate trouble" and won't have further difficulty—either a return of symptoms or a new problem entirely, such as prostate cancer. Although this is a book about prostate cancer, when it comes to making the diagnosis and planning treatment, the other prostate disorders must be considered, too. Thus, it's important that men know about all of the "Big Three" prostate problems—what they are, how they are treated, and their telltale symptoms.

Fortunately, effective treatment and relief of symptoms is available for all of these prostate disorders. Even prostate cancer, when caught early, is curable—generally without causing loss of urinary control or sexual function. Better still, for the first time ever, we are very close to understanding how to keep advanced cancer in check, perhaps even for years.