Prostate Health

How Diet Influences Cancer Risk

2005-05-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

by Alex Fir

Diet is a double edged sword. Improper diet increases the risk of cancer but a proper, well balanced diet reduces the cancer risk.

Diet is one of the most important lifestyle factors and has been estimated to account for up to 80% of cancers of the large bowel, breast, and prostate. Diet affects the risk of many other cancers, including cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, esophagus and pancreas.

Prostate Cancer:
High consumption of meat, especially red meat, substantially increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Vegetables, especially cooked tomatoes, reduce the risk of prostate cancer. In one clinical trial, the role of Vitamin E as a prostate cancer reducing factor was established. In this study there was a 32% decrease in prostate cancer incidence and 41% decrease in prostate cancer mortality in people receiving Vitamin E supplements when compared to controls.

Breast Cancer:
In Japan, people consume Tofu, a soya product. It contains isoflavones that moderate the estrogen receptors in the body such as breast tissue. The incidence of breast cancer is low in Japan when compared to Western women; only 1/4th of the mortality rate of Western women.

Japanese women's low fat diet, high fish consumption and drinking green tea also decrease their breast cancer risk.

One case control study found that regular consumption of soy foods was associated with a marked decrease in breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. No effect in post-menopausal women.

A Japanese case-control study also found that tofu intake (3 times/wk compared with less than 3 times/wk) was associated with decreased risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Again, soy intake was not protective against post-menopausal breast cancer.

In one study conducted in America, the relation between soy intake and breast cancer risk found that tofu consumption was protective in both premenopausal and post menopausal Asian women.

Lung Cancer:
Lung cancer risk is substantially decreased by a variety of carotenoids. Carotenoids act as antioxidants and thus minimize cell damage.

One study in Boston focused on the effect of different types of carotenoids on lung cancer risk.

It was observed that lung cancer risk was significantly lower in subjects who consumed a diet high in a variety of carotenoids. This was especially true with non-smokers who had 63% less risk.

One study conducted in Hawaii reported further evidence for a protective effect from certain carotenoids against lung cancer and that greater protection was afforded by consuming a variety of vegetables compared to only foods rich in a particular carotenoid.

Stomach Cancer:
Nitrates in food and other preservatives added to food including meat are converted into 'nitrites' in the human stomach. The nitrites undergo nitrosation to form 'nitrosamines' and 'nitrosamides'. This increases the risk of stomach cancer in people eating vegetables from nitrate rich soil.

In one study, Vitamin C appeared to protect against the risk of stomach cancer by inhibiting formation of nitrates in stomach.

Cancer of the stomach is 5 times more common in Japanese people compared to Western populations. When Japanese people migrated to the United States, they progressively acquired the low incidence of the US due to changes in their diets.

In one study conducted in Hawaii that involved both Japanese and Caucasians, the stomach cancer risk was associated with consumption of rice, pickled vegetables, and dried/salted fish, and a negative association with vitamin C intake.

One ecological study in Belgium showed a relation between the nitrate and salt consumption and stomach cancer. The analysis of this model showed that the significance of nitrate as a risk factor for stomach cancer mortality increased markedly with higher sodium levels.

Dietary habits and stomach cancer risk was studied in Shanghai, China. According to this study, risks of stomach cancer were inversely associated with high consumption of several food groups, including fresh vegetables and fruits, poultry, eggs, plant oil, and some nutrients such as protein, fat, fiber, tea and antioxidant vitamins.

By contrast, risks increased with increasing consumption of dietary carbohydrates, frequent consumption of preserved, salty or fried foods and hot soup/porridge, with irregular meals, speed eating and binge eating. This provides evidence that diet plays a major role in stomach cancer risk.

No single food can completely prevent cancer but a balanced combination of different groups can help. Appropriate diet can prevent 3-4 million cancers each year.

About the Author

Cancer is One of the Main Causes of Death Among Humans. Visit Cancer Information, FREE web site for those who want to learn more about taking control of their health.

Lycopene Effective with Prostate Cancer Treatment

2005-04-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

Ultimate Cancer Breakthroughs

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by Darin Ingels

Men with prostate cancer who take supplemental lycopene in addition to surgical removal of the testicles may experience less active disease, less bone pain, and live longer than those who only have surgical removal of the testicles, according to a new study in British Journal of Urology International (2003;92:375-8). This is exciting news for millions of men who have to undergo aggressive treatment for advanced prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in men over the age of 50 years, with more than 200,000 new cases each year in the United States. The cause of prostate cancer, like many other cancers, is unknown; however, some studies suggest alterations in testosterone metabolism may play a role in its development. Prostate cancer is generally slow growing and may not cause any symptoms until late in the disease. Symptoms may include frequent or painful urination, dribbling after urination, sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder, or blood in the urine. The symptoms of prostate cancer are similar to those of a non-cancerous condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), so men experiencing these symptoms should consult their physician for an accurate diagnosis.

In the new study, 54 men with advanced prostate cancer were randomly assigned to have surgical removal of the testicles (orchidectomy) alone or orchidectomy plus oral supplementation with 4 mg of lycopene a day. Measurements of PSA (a blood marker of prostate cancer activity), bone scans, and urinary flow were taken initially and every three months for two years. Men receiving lycopene started on the day of their surgery.

After six months, PSA had significantly decreased in both groups, indicating a reduction in prostate cancer activity. However, PSA levels in those receiving lycopene were more than 65% lower than in those who did not receive lycopene. After two years, PSA levels in the lycopene treatment group had fallen into the normal range, while those who only underwent surgery still had PSA levels more than twice the upper limit of normal. Urinary symptoms significantly improved in both groups, but better improvement was again observed in the lycopene group. The lycopene group also experienced less bone pain.

The survival rates after two years in the lycopene-plus-surgery group and surgery-only groups were 87% and 78%, respectively, a statistically significant difference. No adverse side effects were observed in men taking lycopene.LycopeneLycopene is one of a group of compounds called carotenoids. It is found in high amounts in tomatoes.

The findings of this study corroborate the findings of other similar studies examining the effectiveness of lycopene in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, the amount used in the current study (4 mg per day) was substantially less than the amounts used in other studies (30 mg per day). It may also help stimulate the immune system and has been shown to cause cancer cells to die on their own. Although more research is needed to clarify what amount of lycopene is most effective, men with prostate cancer may benefit from taking daily lycopene supplements. Eating one moderately sized tomato a day also provides approximately 4 mg of lycopene. Other tomato products, such as an 8-ounce portion of tomato juice or tomato paste may provide up to 25 mg of lycopene.

About the Author

Darin Ingels, ND, MT (ASCP), received his bachelor's degree from Purdue University and his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore,

How Can You Avoid Getting Cancer? Why Should You?

2005-04-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

by Jaynn Nicols

Reno, NV - Cancer, the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body, is not one single disease but instead a group of diseases. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Americans; causing one of every four deaths in the United States.

Some cancers, if caught in early stages need not be fatal; others spread quickly and can result in death. There are many types of cancer, but the most common types are: Breast, Colorectal, Lung, Prostate, Skin and Testicular cancers.

All cancers involve the malfunction of genes that control cell growth and cell division. That means your cell will not be able to communicate properly (similar to you trying to talk to someone that does not speak your language) and as a result there will be a lot of mis-communcation, which ultimately can lead to cancer.
There is no single cause of cancer. Instead cancer can be caused by external factors (smoking, radiation, and infectious organisms) and internal factors (inherited genes, immune conditions, etc.) While some of the causes are outside of most people’s control, other factors, like smoking, are lifestyle changes that an individual could make to improve their health.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in a single year (2004) more than 180,000 cancer deaths will be as a result of tobacco use. Research indicates that another one-third of the 563,700 cancer deaths in the same time period will be related to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, being overweight or obese, and other lifestyle factor that if changed, could have prevented the onset or spread of cancer.

Can you prevent, nay even survive cancer? According to the ACS, the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed between 1995 and 2000 is up by 64%.

There are some simple steps that may result in not only reducing your risk of cancer, but ultimately saving your life.

Nutrition and exercise: There is strong scientific evidence that a healthy diet, combined with regular physical activity, is not only are needed to maintain a healthful body weight but will also reduce cancer risk. Some studies have found that people eating diets high in vegetables and fruits, and low in meat and/or animal fats have reduced risk of some the most common cancers. Can not get any fresh fruits and vegetable? You are allergic to fruits and vegetables? Try nutritious supplements in form of glyconutrients.

Tobacco use cessation: Some of the most dangerous types of cancer are related to tobacco use (not only smoking cigarettes but smoking cigars or pipes, and chewing tobacco). As mentioned earlier, tobacco use has been linked to almost 200,000 deaths yearly. Quitting smoking or any tobacco habit can be incredibly difficult but will add 15 to 20 years to your life.

Protect skin: Skin cancer may not always be fatal, but it’s still incredibly prevalent. In 2004, more than 1 million cases of skin cancer were diagnosed – many could have been avoided by merely wearing sun block, hats, sun glasses, and avoiding sun tanning.

Reduce stress: It’s difficult to chart the correlation between stress and cancer. Some studies indicate that individuals that developed cancer were in particularly high stress positions in life. There are many theories that suggest that cancer is similar to an immune system disease and stress is a major factor in lowering the body’s natural immunity.

Cancer does not need to be a death sentence. There are many advances taking place every year in medicine to extend the life of cancer patients. But perhaps the greatest opportunity isn’t with treatment of the cancer, but rather the prevention of the cancer in the first place. By making a few behavioral changes to your life you can substantially reduce the risk of cancer and improve the quality of your life.

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About the Author

Jaynne has lost several family members to cancer and thus has a major interest in this dis-ease. You can find her website, a cancer resource directory, at http://www.deadcancers.com and glyconutrients at http://dexlen.myglycostore.com