You want to know what you can do to decrease your risk of getting it, or if you already have it, why.The answer is multiple: location in the world, ethnic background, breast cancer in close relatives, BBQ'd meat, age, and, believe it or not, NOT having diabetes. In this article we'll take a look at each of these causes and how they relate to prostate cancer.
First and most important is age. Age is the single greatest reason men get prostate cancer, and it increases almost exponentially the older they get. If you are between they age of 60 and 80, there is a one in six chance you will get it.
Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. There are other symptoms that may not be mentioned here. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer.
If you have more than one close women relative who has had breast cancer or a father or brother who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your chances increase even more. This is an indication that a faulty gene is the culprit and is being passed through your family. And what your family's ethnicity is can also be a risk.
The cause of prostate cancer is not known. What is known is the characteristics of those men who tend to develop prostate problems. These are known as "risk factors" i.e. men with these characteristics are at greater risk of developing the cancer. However it is important to realise that ALL men are at risk of prostate cancer and even young men who have no history of cancer in their family can develop prostate cancer.
All this is well and good to know, but it doesn't do you any good if you can't control it, does it?
Well how about BBQ'd meat? A few recent studies have shown that cooking meat over an open flame may be a cause of cancer (Cancer Causes Control 2000; 11:731-739). However, other studies have not shown a correlation (J Natl Cancer Inst, 1999; 91:2038-2044). Still others suggest that the charring of the meat is what's bad, and that one should aim to flip their grilled meat several times to prevent blackening, or scrape off any charring before eating.
Hormones
We know that the male hormones tend to stimulate the development of prostate cancers and prostate cancer is very rare in men who have been castrated before the age of 40 years. This is likely to be because the normal prostate gland is affected by male hormones when carrying out its normal functions in the body. Prostate cancer cells originate and have some features similar to these normal prostate cells including being influenced by male hormones.
If you live in North America or Western Europe, you are at slightly more risk than anywhere else. This may be a dietary difference or hereditary, but the picture is not yet complete. It may even simply be a result of more often and more aggressive testing procedures in the "developed" world. There is a large ongoing study in Europe called EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) to try to determine the correlation between European diet and prostate cancer, but results won't be in for another ten years.
Eat a lot of fruits and veggies every day, not just a token banana or apple. For natural treatment for the prostate make an appointment with a naturopathic doctor, called a naturopath; ask around for referrals. Eat foods that contain the essential fatty acids.
A recently completed study showed the surprising fact that men who have had diabetes for several years have a significantly reduced chance of getting prostate cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 161(2);147-152).
Keep in mind this does not mean you should run out and start eating donuts to get fat in hopes of acquiring diabetes and therefore avoiding the potentially more fatal prostate cancer. The study also showed that newly diagnosed diabetics actually have an INCREASED risk for the first four years, and then the "protective" effect begins. Also, obesity can contribute to other health problems and alone may only contribute further to other types of cancer.
If you've already been diagnosed with prostate cancer, essential the option that's best suited to you and your continuing good health. If you haven't been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor.
And if you're a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, make an appointment soon. While the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer remains high, survival rates are also greatly improving; perhaps because of dietary improvement.
First and most important is age. Age is the single greatest reason men get prostate cancer, and it increases almost exponentially the older they get. If you are between they age of 60 and 80, there is a one in six chance you will get it.
Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. There are other symptoms that may not be mentioned here. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer.
If you have more than one close women relative who has had breast cancer or a father or brother who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your chances increase even more. This is an indication that a faulty gene is the culprit and is being passed through your family. And what your family's ethnicity is can also be a risk.
The cause of prostate cancer is not known. What is known is the characteristics of those men who tend to develop prostate problems. These are known as "risk factors" i.e. men with these characteristics are at greater risk of developing the cancer. However it is important to realise that ALL men are at risk of prostate cancer and even young men who have no history of cancer in their family can develop prostate cancer.
All this is well and good to know, but it doesn't do you any good if you can't control it, does it?
Well how about BBQ'd meat? A few recent studies have shown that cooking meat over an open flame may be a cause of cancer (Cancer Causes Control 2000; 11:731-739). However, other studies have not shown a correlation (J Natl Cancer Inst, 1999; 91:2038-2044). Still others suggest that the charring of the meat is what's bad, and that one should aim to flip their grilled meat several times to prevent blackening, or scrape off any charring before eating.
Hormones
We know that the male hormones tend to stimulate the development of prostate cancers and prostate cancer is very rare in men who have been castrated before the age of 40 years. This is likely to be because the normal prostate gland is affected by male hormones when carrying out its normal functions in the body. Prostate cancer cells originate and have some features similar to these normal prostate cells including being influenced by male hormones.
If you live in North America or Western Europe, you are at slightly more risk than anywhere else. This may be a dietary difference or hereditary, but the picture is not yet complete. It may even simply be a result of more often and more aggressive testing procedures in the "developed" world. There is a large ongoing study in Europe called EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) to try to determine the correlation between European diet and prostate cancer, but results won't be in for another ten years.
Eat a lot of fruits and veggies every day, not just a token banana or apple. For natural treatment for the prostate make an appointment with a naturopathic doctor, called a naturopath; ask around for referrals. Eat foods that contain the essential fatty acids.
A recently completed study showed the surprising fact that men who have had diabetes for several years have a significantly reduced chance of getting prostate cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 161(2);147-152).
Keep in mind this does not mean you should run out and start eating donuts to get fat in hopes of acquiring diabetes and therefore avoiding the potentially more fatal prostate cancer. The study also showed that newly diagnosed diabetics actually have an INCREASED risk for the first four years, and then the "protective" effect begins. Also, obesity can contribute to other health problems and alone may only contribute further to other types of cancer.
If you've already been diagnosed with prostate cancer, essential the option that's best suited to you and your continuing good health. If you haven't been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor.
And if you're a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, make an appointment soon. While the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer remains high, survival rates are also greatly improving; perhaps because of dietary improvement.
About the Author:
Many men today are using this simple formula to help in the prevention of prostate cancer.