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PROSTATE CANCER
Every man who lives long enough will develop prostate cancer, but it is usually such a slow growing cancer that the vast majority will die with it, not because of it; and prostate cancer will have no effect on the quality or duration of their lives.
Extensive research has failed to show that prostate cancer is caused by infection. The only lead we have is diet. In 1995, Harvard researchers showed that tomatoes reduce risk of prostate cancer, and they cited lycopene, which belongs to the same class of chemicals as beta carotene which is vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps protect the genetic material in cells, called DNA, from becoming cancerous. Multiple studies by Dr. Ed Giovannucci of Harvard show that a plant-based diet is the best way to help prevent prostate cancer. A recent study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York found low levels of prostate cancer in men who have high levels of lycopene, found primarily in tomatoes; and zeaxanthin and lutein, found primarily in spinach and other green leafy vegetables. A study from the Mayo Clinic shows that flavonoids found in apples, onions, tea, and red wine, also block hormones that cause prostate cancer cells to divide and spread. A study from the University of Hawaii shows that prostate cancer occurs much less frequently in men who eat yellow and orange vegetables such as corn and carrots, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. A report from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle shows that men who eat three or more servings of vegetables a day have a 48 percent reduction in prostate cancer compared to those who don't eat vegetables. Other studies show that men who eat soy foods, which are full of flavones, have a lower incidence of prostate cancer. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish also have been shown to help prevent prostate cancer. Sardines, salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel are rich sources of omega-3's. Eating meat and chicken raise your chances of developing prostate cancer. So does drinking large amounts of milk and taking calcium supplements that deplete your body of vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D are a major risk factor for prostate cancer.
No one food prevents any specific disease. Soybeans do not prevent prostate cancer, but soybeans may be part of a diet that helps prevent prostate cancer. At this time, the best diet to prevent prostate cancer is loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and other seeds, and deep-water fish; limits meat, chicken and whole milk dairy products; and has ample amounts of vitamin D (usually from sunlight more than from food).
Checked 8/9/05