Diet, action can reduce prostate cancer risk

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, and millions of men also suffer from the symptoms of an enlarged prostate. By age 70, about 90 percent of men will have prostate enlargement.

Is this an inevitable part of aging for the male of the species? No. Men in Asia are much less likely to develop prostatic enlargement and prostate cancer than their American counterparts. This probably is because of differences in our lifestyles, especially our diets that are higher in fat and lower in antioxidants in the West.

Eating fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants probably is beneficial. A recent study published in the Journal of Urology reported on the long-term follow-up of a group of men with prostate cancer who were treated with pomegranate juice.

In this study, which began in 2003, 48 men older than 60 who had been treated for localized prostate cancer were given 8 ounces of pomegranate juice to drink every day. Before the study began, these men were found to have rising PSA levels, which can indicate a recurrence of cancer. The results of the initial study and recently published follow-up data suggested pomegranate juice significantly reduced the rise of PSA. The study’s limitations: It was small, did not have a control group and did not assess mortality.

What else can you do for prostate health?

→Eat more soy, especially nonfermented soy foods.

→Get vitamin D.

→Eat more plants.

→Keep weight normal. Studies suggest a higher prostate cancer risk in men with a large waist-to-hip ratio.

→Stay active.

→Consider aspirin. But check with your doctor before starting.