| Answer: | A Prostate cancer is the most rapidly increasing cancer in men. It' s predicted to become the most common within 20 years, possibly affecting as many as one in four men at some point during their life. Its causes are very similar to those of breast cancer, and the nutritional approach to both preventing and treating it is much the same, too. This involves avoiding the known risk factors: a diet high in saturated fat, regular consumption of dairy products and meat, low fibre intake, obesity, smoking, high cadmium levels, exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals and pesticides, and high levels of testosterone.
The lowest risk diet is a vegan diet (no meat, no dairy). Eat organic wherever possible. If you don' t go for the vegan option, fish, especially mackerel, herring, trout and wild or organically farmed salmon that are rich in omega-3 fats, lower your risk. Flax seeds and their oil are the best vegetarian source of omega-3 fats. Regular consumption of beans, lentils and specifically soya such as tofu or soya milk (two servings a day maximum is adequate) and pumpkin seeds also lowers risk. Tomatoes, rich in cancer-combating lycopene, are also recommended. Make sure your supplement programme includes 3,000mcg (10,000iu) of vitamin A, 400mg (600iu) of vitamin E, and 12mg of beta-carotene, plus the minerals selenium and zinc. Consider supplementing genistein and daidzein, the protective factors found in soya, and possibly the herb saw palmetto (300mg a day), which helps enlarged prostates. |
