25/10/2011 13:08
 |
Stockbyte-Getty Images |
One of the best ways men can keep their prostates healthy - and reduce their risk of prostate cancer - is by eating the right foods.
Movember (the month formerly known as November) is almost upon us, and with it all sorts of moustache-based tomfoolery to highlight men's health issues, most notably prostate cancer.
Now, if you're under 40 you may think prostate cancer isn't something you have to worry about right now, and to a large degree you'd be right. But now is the time you can be putting in place the lifestyle choices that can help make sure you avoid prostate cancer in the future.
One thing you can do is to learn about the foods that actively promote a healthy prostate and those that do the opposite. Here are the main ones.
Garlic
 |
| AP Photo-Larry Crowe Studies have shown eating alliumvegetables like garlic can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing prostate cancer |
Garlic is an allium vegetable, as are onions, shallots, leeks and chives. It's been suggested that men who eat a lot of allium vegetables are less likely to develop prostate cancer.
One small study conducted in Turkey found a reduction in PSA (a protein associated with prostate cancer) of more than half of a group of nine men who had the cancer and who took a liquid garlic extract for a month.
A larger study in China found that men who ate more than 10g of allium vegetables a day were 49% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who ate less than 2.2g a day.
Spring onion
 |
| Kevin Summers-Photographer's Choice-Getty Images A Chinese study showed regular consumption of spring onion can reduce prostate cancer risk by 70% |
Another allium vegetable with prostate cancer fighting properties is spring onion.
In the Chinese study, men who ate more than 2.1g of spring onion a day reduced their prostate cancer risk by a whopping 70% compared to those who ate none at all.
Garlic and spring onion are often eaten with other prostate friendly ingredients like tomatoes, so a combination may be more effective than individual vegetables.
Tomato
 |
| Jane Sobel Klonsky-Lifesize-Getty Images Whether they are fresh or concentrated, tomatoes have been proven to protect about prostate cancer |
So what is it about the tomato that helps prevent prostate cancer (along with other illnesses)? It seems to be an ingredient called lycopene, the chemical that gives tomatoes their red colour, and the really great thing is that cooked and concentrated tomatoes are just as good in this regard - or even better - than fresh ones. So everything from ketchup and soup to the tomato sauce on pizzas may help to keep prostate cancer at bay.
How do we know? Well, one study from 2002 looked at the eating habits of more than 47,000 men. The men who ate tomato sauce or other preparations of cooked tomatoes two or more times per week had 20% less chance of developing prostate cancer.
A study published last year in the journal of Cancer Prevention Research suggested that a daily serving of tomatoes (fresh, cooked or in sauces) could protect against prostate cancer and slow the growth of tumours in existing sufferers.
Several studies now suggest that tomatoes in combination with other vegetables make a potent anti-cancer weapon.
 |
| Jonathan Kantor-The Image Bank-Getty Images Broccoli offers protection against prostate cancer by changing male gene expression |
Broccoli
There are lots of reasons to be eating a weekly (or more) portion of broccoli, and here's another: it helps to protect against prostate cancer.
Studies have found that a diet rich in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (like Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower and bok choy) changes gene expression in men, offering a protective effect against prostate cancer.
Another study showed that it helped prevent men succumbing to more aggressive forms of the disease.
And in another nod to the humble, helpful tomato, another study found that a combination of broccoli and tomato had the biggest protective effect of all.
Oily fish
Oily fish like salmon, trout, herring and mackerel - rich in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids - may also help to prevent prostate cancer.
 |
| Kick Images-Photodisc-Getty Images The Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish like salmon may also help prevent prostate cancer |
A recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet found that men who consume plenty of oily fish enjoy a lowered risk of prostate cancer compared to those who don't.
Other research has found that men who eat moderate or high amounts of oily fish are three times less likely to develop prostate cancer as those who ate none.
What not to eat
The other side of the coin is that - to reduce your risk of prostate cancer - there are some foods you should limit.
Red meat is one, and also any meat that has been grilled or fried at high temperatures. Cooking in this way - and particularly blackening meat on the BBQ - has been shown to promote prostate cancer in animal studies.
 |
| Tom Grill-Iconica-Getty Images Reducing the amount of red meat you eat can lower your prostate cancer risk |
Dairy products may also be a problem. One study found that men consuming two and a half servings of dairy products a day could increase prostate cancer risk by 40%.
In a review of studies into diet and prostate cancer published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers found that diets rich in highly processed or charcoaled meats, dairy products and fats seemed to be most associated with prostate cancer risk.
Diet is only one factor that determines your chances of getting prostate cancer, but it seems to be quite an important one. It's also something you can control.
By eating plenty of prostate healthy foods, and limiting those that do damage, you can give yourself the best chance of avoiding prostate cancer later in life. The sooner you start, the better.
More on MSN Him
