Preventing Prostate Cancer

Men begin thinking about prostate cancer as they hit their 40^th birthday.  Individuals with a family history of prostate or breast cancer, and African-American men, might start thinking about it earlier.  Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American males.  It occurs in just about 200,000 men per year and leads to the death of about 30,000 men per year in the United States.  In the near future, genomic screening may be available to help determine those with genetic predispositions, who would require the most aggressive protective efforts.

• Eat a variety of vegetables daily. Include cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, a few times a week
• In a study published in the February 2003 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, researchers from Harvard Medical School found that a combination of green tea and soy or black tea and soy resulted in the prevention of prostate tumor cell growth and metastasis in mice. Green tea combined with soy protein also showed a synergistic effect reducing testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), hormones believed to fuel prostate cancer growth. Asian men, who consume high amounts of tea and soy, have a significantly lower incidence of prostate cancer.
• Avoid excess calcium.  A diet high in calcium has been implicated as a potential risk factor for prostate cancer. In a Harvard study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn't drink milk at all. The association appears to be with calcium itself, rather than with dairy products in general.
• Avoid char-broiled meats.  Frequent char-broiling seems to be an independent risk factor for prostate cancer.
• Excessive saturated fats seem to increase prostate cancer risk.  Long-term Atkins diet might be a problem.
• Lycopene, a red carotenoid consumed primarily from tomatoes and a few other plant-based foods, is one of the most promising chemopreventive agents found in Western diets.  Regular consumption of lycopene-rich foods has been reported to be associated with a 30 to 40% lower risk of prostate cancer.  Tomato sauces, salsa and tomato juice, as well as watermelon are good sources.  A recent study showed that while a lycopene supplement decreased prostate cancer in lab animals, tomato powder was even better.  Some believe that lycopenes, like all antioxidants, need to function in conjunction with other antioxidants, like vitamin E and green tea.
• The dietary stilbene resveratrol is a major constituent of a variety of edible plant products, including grapes (wine) and peanuts. Resveratrol has been identified as an excellent candidate cancer chemopreventive, based on its safety and efficacy in animal models of carcinogenesis.  Preliminary studies suggest benefit in prostate cancer.
• In a  group of men that were on the drug  finasteride (Proscar, Propecia), there was a 24 percent to 35 percent reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer.  Of the cancers which occurred, they were of a higher grade malignancy.  The suggestion is that the lower grade cancers were suppressed, and the more aggressive were not affected.
• The inverse correlation between the mortality rate of prostate cancer and exposure to ultraviolet radiation in the US population, as well as the greater risk of prostate cancer in Afro-Caribbean men indicate that one precipitating factor for prostate cancer might be vitamin D insufficiency.  A recent study at the Mayo Clinic suggested that nearly 80% of patients in Minnesota were vitamin D deficient, especially during the winter months.  It has been suggested that perhaps we start screening serum 25(OH)D annually in men >30 years, especially those who are at higher risk of chronic vitamin D deficiency, such as African Americans and indoor workers.  Vitamin D supplementation (400 I. U.) may be very important.
• Vitamin E (400I.U.)and the mineral selenium (200mcg) have been shown in some small studies to cut the risk of prostate cancer between 30 percent and 60 percent. Now, researchers are giving the vitamin and mineral a second look in the largest-ever prostate cancer prevention trial. Because the earlier studies are promising, the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) recommends both vitamin E and selenium as part of a diet to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Many recommend that men start taking vitamin E and selenium supplements by age 40.
• Even small amounts of oily fish tend to decrease the risk of prostate cancer by 50%.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to suppress prostate cell growth in tissue cultures.

Supplement Summary
	Product	Rating
Lycopene, resveratrol, green tea and other antioxidants available as	Celapro	90
Vitamin E 400I.U E/selenium	E/selenium	100
Omega-3	DHE/EPA 1gm	100
Vit D 400I.U.	Vit D 400I.U.	100