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Men's Health Primer: Foods for Good Prostate Health

By Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA - LifeScript Director of Nutrition

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. With both Father's Day and Men's Health Week just behind us, now is as good a time as ever to learn about prostate health, a subject all men should address with their physicians. Almost all men develop “silent” or latent prostate cancer cells if they live long enough, but some lifestyle factors can increase your risk...

Bulging Waistline is a Risk

Several studies have shown that being significantly overweight may promote the development of a more aggressive form of prostate cancer. In one recent study, those men who had gained more than 3.5 pounds a year between the ages of 25 and 40 were twice as likely to have this cancer recur as men who gained less weight. Also, excess body fat that is located in and around internal organs and often indicated by more waistline fat may pose particular risks, even if a man is not obese. In a recent study, men with prostate cancer averaged about 50% more total abdominal fat than healthy men of the same age.

Foods for Good Prostate Health

With proper diet, exercise and early detection, there is hope for this disease. In fact, over 1.8 million men in the United States have beaten prostate cancer. Research has identified protective compounds in certain foods for good prostate health. Several foods, such as tomatoes, nuts, cruciferous vegetables, onions, and spinach have shown some promise with this disease.

Studies have shown that prostate health depends on a plant-based diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Vitamins, minerals and various phytochemicals that may be beneficial for the prostate are abundant in plant foods. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale and cabbage contain compounds called indoles, which may inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells. Although several studies have shown that tomatoes are protective, perhaps because of the carotenoid lycopene, the Food and Drug Administration recently reported that there is limited evidence supporting the claim that eating one cup of tomatoes per week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer and Diet

Onions, spinach and herbs are other key foods for good prostate health. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that a diet rich in alliums – such as garlic, shallots and onions – may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as half. Recently, Japanese researchers found that a carotenoid abundant in spinach, neoxanthin, may reduce the creation of human prostate cancer cells. Herbs and nutrients such as green tea extract, stinging nettle root, ginger, rosemary, zinc, lycopene, and selenium have also been shown to help maintain and promote normal prostate health.

For women, the bottom line is to offer the men in your life a plant-centered diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, encourage regular activity to help them maintain a healthy waistline and remind them to talk with their physician about receiving regular prostate screening.

Source:
LifeScripts.com
Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA - LifeScript Director of Nutrition