Foods to eat for prostate cancer prevention

Everybody know the positive effects of the Mediterranean diet preventing cancer. On this post we’ll talk about what are the foods to avoid for prostate health and what to eat.

Thanks to Darwin

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. It occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread (metastasize) from the prostate to other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, erectile dysfunction and other symptoms.

Eating certain foods and nutrients might decrease your chances of developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of having a prostate cancer recurrence, or help slow down progression of the disease.

Here a list of information on foods that fight prostate cancer

• Lycopene - tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruits
• Sulforaphane - cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower, wild broccoli
• Polyphenols - Red Wine, berries, grapes, olive oil, walnuts
• Isoflavones - Lupine, fava bean, peanut
• Vitamin A - Apricots, lettuce, spinach, chicken livers
• Vitamin B6 - Fortified cereals, chickpeas, nuts
• Vitamin C - Citrus fruits and juices, red peppers, grape juice
• Vitamin D - Sunlight, fortified milk
• Vitamin E - Fortified cereals, tomato-based products, nuts, spinach
• Beta-carotene - Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach
• Calcium - Dairy products, collard greens, sardines with bones
• Selenium - Nuts, fish, whole-grain wheat flour, garlic
• Zinc - Raw or cooked oysters, beef, crab
• DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) - Fish

Why they are so healthy?

Eating at least two servings a week of tomato sauce can significantly decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer

Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment, a phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. Lycopene is the most common carotenoid in the human body and is one of the most potent carotenoid antioxidants.

The processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of bioavailable lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes.

Eating at least five servings a week of cruciferous vegetables can significantly decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer

Sulforaphane is a compound found in cruciferous vegetables that increases the activity of proteins that enable the body to clean up the damage caused by the carcinogens substances ingested and incorporated with the foods we eat, thereby helping to slow down the cancer growth process.

Be carefull with certain Vitamins, high doses of Zinc and Calcium

The vitamins and minerals found in all foods play an important role in helping to regulate the body’s many processes and functions. Some of these vitamins and minerals help monitor the balance between cell growth and cell death, and particularly between cancer cell growth and cancer cell death. When this balance is upset, cancer cells can multiply and spread.

Eating the equivalent of 3 servings of fish per week cut the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer in half

Consumption of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), two omega- 3 fatty acids found mostly in fatty fish, was associated with a lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.

How to eat Lycopene?

Sure…by cooking the healthiest recipe of the world: “Spaghetti and tomato sauce”

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Onions

Have a look on this great video of Pino Luongo

Other recipes with lycopene

Useful resources:

• [PDF] Guide on nutrition and prostate cancer
• Lycopene
• Men eating high-fat diets are highly likely to develop prostate cancer
• The traditional Mediterranena diet: The Scientific Basis for its Health Benefits
• [PDF] Mediterranean diet and cancer
• Take two carrots and call me in the morning
• Red wine may keep prostate cancer cells in check
• The Mediterranean Diet - University of Maine
• [PDF] Can Men with Prostate Cancer Manage the Disease through Diet and Nutrition while Avoiding “Definitive Therapy”?
• Lycopene - A Promising Link to Prostate Cancer Prevention
• A Prospective Study of Tomato Products, Lycopene, and Prostate Cancer Risk
• Cancer and Mediterranean Dietary Traditions
• Diet and cancer of the prostate: a case-control study in Greece
• Cancer Proof Your Prostate
• More study and researches

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