One of the most common cancers that occur in men is prostate cancer. Even if it’s not cancer, many things can happen with your prostates, such as enlarged prostate and BPH. Here are five tips to keep your prostate healthy.
- Have prostate friendly food
With the growing age factor, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) gets common in men older than 50. This is the condition in which the cells in the prostate gland start getting multiplied.
As a result, this can make the prostate swell and enlarged. According to one study, men who frequently eat garlic and onion are less prone to BPH than those who do not eat or eat very less.
Fruits rich in vitamin C, like Grapes, Lemon, Lime, Orange, etc. may help in keeping the prostate gland healthy.
Vegetables like Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower are known to have a substance named sulforaphane, which prevents the generation of cancer tissues.
Have red foods like watermelon and tomatoes as they contain lycopene which is considered as a powerful antioxidant.
Nuts, fresh green seasonal vegetables, olive oil, tofu, whole grain bread, soybean, legumes, and lentils are also good to keep the prostate fit and fine.
Lycopene, a potent antioxidant found in tomato cell walls, becomes more accessible to our bodies during the cooking process, as stated in a Prostate Cancer Foundation article. It can then be sent to the prostate. Green tea, known for its antioxidant content, contains catechins believed to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic properties. A systematic review published in Medicine (Baltimore) indicated that consuming seven cups of green tea daily may lower the risk of prostate cancer in men.
- Avoid foods not so friendly for prostate
Red meat lovers have bad news that red meats including pork, beef, lamb, etc. are not so good for the prostate.
Processed meat such as hotdogs, sausages, bologna, bacon, etc. are also to be avoided.
Instead, you should opt for chicken and eggs without skin, fish, etc. to fulfill your non-veg cravings and they are also rich protein.
Excess intake of dairy products needs to be reduced, as they contain a high amount of calcium that may not be suitable for the prostate.
A sufficient amount of calcium is essential for the body, but the excess of it is also considered as a deficiency.
Excessive calcium may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Cut down the sugar as much as possible, especially artificially sweetened drinks like sodas and preserved fruit juices.
You may at least limit the intake if not possible to cut it completely. You need to select the foods that have low levels of sodium and it is recommended to check the labels before buying.
That also means you have to reduce the intake of salt; avoid taking extra salt after the meal is cooked.
- Stay active
Regular movements of the body always work complimentary to the balanced diet. A healthy diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, at all times.
Of course, your entire body needs exercising, but if focus on those types of exercises that include more movements of the lower body, such as walking, bicycling, running, swimming, squats, etc.
Exercise will aid you to prevent gaining those extra pounds that generally goes on your belly.
You can also gain a healthy muscle mass, improve the digestive system, and hence, metabolism – a key to a healthy body.
If you are not a gym hitting person, that is still ok. If you get bored easily with just two-three days of exercising, that is still fine.
You can vary your exercise patterns depending upon days and your schedule, like you may try dancing on weekends as it is fun as well as exercising.
Involve your buddies if you go on a walk and you can talk too.
Find some fitness trainers on social media or TV shows and follow their steps simultaneously as it will be guided and also the session will be interesting.
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, studies led by June Chan, Sc.D., at UCSF have demonstrated that exercise can effectively postpone or prevent the progression of prostate cancer. Engaging in aerobic exercise following a prostate cancer diagnosis may decrease the chances of cancer recurrence or mortality by as much as 60 percent.
- Opt for Green Tea and Coffee too
Green tea is common in all kinds of health benefits and prostate health is not an exception to that. The human body keeps having reactions of free radicals that fasten the aging process.
Antioxidant prevent this reaction and green tea has plenty of those. It is one of the antioxidants, named catechin polyphenol is considered to be beneficial in preventing prostate cancer.
Having two to three cups of green tea will work wonders. It can also slow down the growth of aggressive prostate cancer.
Green tea will aid in preventing BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) as well, which is getting common with the growing age.
Additionally, coffee is also proven clinically useful in reducing the risks of fatal and high-grade prostate cancer.
Occasional coffee drinkers may not gain this benefit, but regular coffee drinkers, like two to three cups a day may have this benefit.
One should also consider that excessive amounts of caffeine are also not good, and the intake should be limited per day.
- Ejaculate more often
It sounds like fun with benefits, though more advanced studies are required to be done to gather stronger evidence.
Yet, at least for now, scientists know that ejaculation and prostate health are interlinked.
A study in 2016 that involved 32000 men and duration of 18 years gained attention, that claimed that those who had the maximum number of ejaculations i.e. 21 times in a month, had 20% lower chances of developing prostate cancer as compared to those who ejaculated fewer number times i.e. four to seven times a month, but it is true that the more you ejaculate, the lesser is the risk of prostate cancer.
Still, few facts are yet to be discovered by scientists like whether frequent ejaculation protects against the deadliest types of cancers or not; whether ejaculation happened via masturbation and sexual activity are having the same benefits or not, etc.
Still, it is true that frequent ejaculations will not do any harm, so certainly it is a task most men will like to go for.
Bonus Tips Submitted By Viewers
- Get vitamin D
Getting some sunshine for a few minutes helps your skin infuse vitamin D. So get some sunscreen and bask in the sun.
Calciferol comprises fat soluble sub traits, with vitamins D2 and D3 being the most common. Too little vitamin D is evident in patients with prostate cancer.
Once you acquire prostate cancer, there is no means of primary prevention. That is why this is a leading cancer afflicting men in the US.
The link between vitamin D synthesis and prostate cancer progression is still under examination. But examinations reveal that people suffering from prostate cancer have vitamin D deficiency.
Besides, men with healthy vitamin D levels tend to have less aggressive prostate cancers. Again, there are lower rates of death from prostate cancers by men exhibiting high vitamin D concentration.
It is thought that vitamin D regulates and stifles the growth and mutation of tumor cells. Hence it’s known that sufficient vitamin D could help during prostate cancer treatment.
World Cancer Research Fund International suggests that there is scientific evidence supporting the potential of vitamin D in preventing the onset of prostate cancer. Two small-scale clinical trials have indicated that short-term supplementation of high-dose vitamin D might hinder the progression of prostate cancer. Vitamin D interacts with specific receptors in the prostate and bladder, resulting in reduced inflammation and prostate growth.
- Medications
There is no known trigger for prostate cancer. Still, it’s likely to affect more men belonging to a particular race and is more prevalent in certain geographic regions.
You are most likely to acquire this cancer if you have close relatives suffering from prostate cancer. And if prostate-specific antigen PSA tests reveal that you have elevated levels of PSA in your blood, then you are at risk.
For most men finding themselves in this unfortunate situation, the only solution is to enroll for medication early enough.
The most popular preventive medications are Finasteride and Dutasteride. They are potent in reducing testosterone in the body.
Testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is responsible for prostate cancer mutation. Thus the tablets lower the male sex hormones to prevent elevated DHT.
Thus the drugs are effective in controlling the propagation of prostate cancer. And so this treatment offers a way to a healthy prostate.
