Prostate Cancer Nutrition: Link Between the Condition and Diet

Prostate cancer and nutrition have been linked, both as a possible cause for the disease and as a way to reduce risk or prostate cancer recurrence.  There is evidence suggesting that prostate cancer and a diet high in fat may stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. The disease is much less common in areas of the world that have a low-fat diet, such as China and Japan.  When these men, however, move to countries with high-fat diets, studies have found that within a generation or two, the risk of developing prostate cancer is as high as everyone else.

There have been several theories as to why prostate cancer and a diet in high-fat enable, or even encourage, prostate cancer cells to grow.  Some experts believe that a high-fat diet may activate a usually dormant internal mechanism within the normal cell’s structure, directing it to grow without its normal limits and boundaries.  Others suggest that a high-fat diet may block the protective restrictions of cell, enabling it to grow uninhibited.   A third theory is that excess fat, which was not be broken down into cholesterol, stimulates the growth of testosterone and testosterone-like hormones.  These hormones, in turn, stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells.  Whatever the reason may be, there is a clear link between the growth of prostate cancer and a diet with the following foods:

The following are the foods which have shown to stimulate the growth of prostate cancer:

• Red meat and dairy products: Beef and high-fat dairy products have been directly linked as stimulators of prostate cancer and should be limited.  Eating less red meat and fewer high-fat dairy products may reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer.  Men who eat a lot of red meat or who consume a lot of dairy products appear to also have a greater chance of developing a more aggressive prostate cancer.  Also, men who eat red meat and high-fat dairy products tend to eat fewer fruit and vegetables.   Most likely, it is a combination of these dietary factors that contribute to the overall risk of prostate cancer.  And while nutrition experts believe some of the dangerous metabolites in beef can be blocked or reduced by herbal supplements for noncancerous enlargement, such as pygeum africanum and saw palmetto, prostate cancer risk still remains.
• Calcium:   Another prostate cancer and nutrition link is calcium.  Research has shown men, who consume very high amounts of calcium through either food or supplements, appear to have a higher risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.  However, this link between calcium and prostate cancer may not be a significant factor for most men.  The average diet does not typically have high enough amount calcium to increase the risk of prostate cancer.
• Zinc:  In addition to fats and excess dietary calcium, some studies have linked zinc to prostate cancer.  Zinc is a natural and abundant element in many foods, such as poultry, red meat, nuts, and beans.  For unknown reasons, the prostate contains a higher concentration of zinc than any other organ.  As with calcium, extremely high quantities need to be consumed to stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells.  While other studies have not confirmed this association with zinc, there is no need for men to take zinc supplements.  If you want to include zinc supplements to your diet, you should discuss with your doctor for a recommended dose, especially if prostate cancer recurrence is a concern.

While studies have shown a direct correlation between the risk of prostate cancer and diet, eliminating these foods completely may not be practical.  Most men consume fat, calcium, or zinc as part of a varied diet containing many foods.  Some experts believe fats may promote cancer, not because of their content, but because of the way meat is cooked.  Also, since fats are known to increase male hormone, it may be that the actual mechanism of cancer enhancement is hormonal.  More importantly, since prostate cancer is thought to begin many years before it fully emerges as its malignant form, the development of prostate cancer cells may actually be associated with the dietary habits the person had many years earlier.  Limiting your consumption of these foods now is still a sound preventative measure, especially if you are already considered a high-risk candidate for prostate cancer or prostate cancer recurrence.

While there are dietary factors that can stimulate prostate cancer, there are also nutritional elements that can protect against prostate cancer.  Recent research now points to these following nutrients in certain foods that have been able to fight or inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells:

• Antioxidants:  Oxygen is essential to life, but after its use in the cells, there is often residual high-energy oxygen molecules called oxidants, also referred to as free radicals, that can be toxic to normal cells.  Antioxidants are natural occurring chemicals that your body uses to neutralize the potentially damaging effects of free radicals.  These cancer-fighting nutrients are abundant in fruits and vegetables with antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E, and the mineral selenium.  Your prostate cancer risk may be lowered with a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, red grapes and pink grape fruit, which contain large amounts of the necessary nutrients and antioxidants that your body needs to eliminate dangerous oxidants.
• Carotenoids:   Also antioxidants are two carotenoids, vitamin A and lycopene.  Prostate cancer cells are less likely to form with the vitamin A found in green and yellow vegetables, because the antioxidant has been found to help in cell differentiation.   Lycopene has shown in laboratory studies to slow growth of endometrial cancer cells, certain breast cancer cells and some forms of lung cancer and leukemia.  It may have similar effects on prostate cancer, and so a diet of lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes, pink grapefruits, watermelon and berries  may help lower your risk for developing prostate cancer.  With tomatoes, it is more beneficial to consume it cooked.  Since cooking appears to release more of the lycopene in tomatoes, tomato-based sauces and soups are considered especially beneficial.  In addition, since lycopene is fat soluble, the body is able to absorb it more effectively when eaten along with healthful fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil.
• Beta carotene:  Another prostate cancer and nutrition link is beta carotene, which appears to have a protective mechanism which slows down the rapid cell growth seen in cancer.  Variations of beta carotene are being used as formal treatment for some types of cancer.  Foods high in beta carotene include dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, beets, swiss chard, kale, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.

Prostate Cancer and Nutrition: Foods with Cancer-Fighting Qualities

The effectiveness of a dietary approach in preventing the prostate cancer development or prostate cancer recurrence is still to be determined.  However, the link between prostate cancer and nutrition is difficult to dismiss.  Until additional studies of prostate cancer and diet are completed, the best tactic for lowering prostate cancer risk is to pursue a healthy lifestyle, which includes limiting your consumption of red meats and high-fat dairy products and eating five or more serving of vegetables and fruit every day.