All men, regardless of age, should be concerned about their prostate health. Although prostate disorders such as prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer generally do not affect men until they are in their 40s or older, the time to help prevent prostate problems and support prostate health is now. However, whenever symptoms of prostate disease do occur, it is important to seek professional medical help with a diagnosis.
Here are some tips on how to maintain and promote prostate health. These tips are based on more than 200 studies conducted over 15 years.
- Maximize your intake of fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are excellent to good sources of anticancer and anti-inflammatory compounds such as antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These foods can help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Focus on proper nutrition: Your food choices account for up to 90 percent of cancers of the prostate, breast, pancreas, and colon. Adjusting your diet can significantly lower your risk of getting prostate disease.
- Eat healthy fats: People who live in countries where high-fat diets are the norm (like the United States) are more likely to develop prostate cancer than people who live in countries where less fat is consumed.
- Choose plant protein over animal protein: Certain plants can provide all the protein you need for maximum overall and prostate health. The World Health Organization has also noted that “diets high in red meat, dairy products, and animal fat have frequently been implicated in the development of prostate cancer”.
- Eat whole and natural foods: Whole, natural foods are typically high in fiber, a component linked to two indicators for prostate health: lower levels of testosterone and lower PSA scores.
- Consume green tea: Green tea contains catechins, antioxidants that can slow the cancer cell growth, promote cancer cell death. Men who drink green tea can reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by as much as 70 percent when compared with men who don’t drink green tea.
- Eat omega-3 rich foods: Found in certain fish, omega 3 fats fight inflammation, a process that destroys the body’s natural antioxidants and weakens the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to disease.
- Avoid foods and additives that harm the prostate: Some foods, supplements, and additives can harm the prostate, including but not limited to meat, calcium, chondroitin, and foods high in sugar.
- Choose safe supplements: Become an informed consumer of supplements. While many supplements can benefit the prostate, others can be harmful (such as calcium).
- Consume cancer-killing foods: Some foods and their components have anticancer abilities, including but not limited to lycopene, turmeric/curcumin, folic acid, and vitamin D.
- Hydrate daily: Drinking pure water is essential for prostate health.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese is associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer, lower long-term survival rate, and more aggressive forms of the disease.
- Exercise regularly: Exercise can not only helps slow the spread of prostate cancer, but also has a preventive effect on prostatitis, BPH, and inflammation.
- Manage stress: Although stress may not directly cause cancer, long-term stress can weaken the immune system, alter your hormonal balance, and make you more susceptible to disease.
- Try natural therapies: Natural prevention and treatment approaches for prostate health include acupuncture, biofeedback, homeopathy, hormone restoration, massage, reflexology and stress management techniques.
- Follow a prostate friendly lifestyle: Smoking, inadequate sleep, some medications, and alcohol use can have a negative effect on prostate health.
- Maintain hormone balance: Hormone management and balancing play a major role in prostate health. The World Health Organization noted that “diet might influence prostate cancer risk by affecting hormone levels.”
- Maintain a healthy sex life: Sexual activity appears to be healthy for your prostate.
- Avoid exposure to toxins: Stay away from chemicals and other substances that can increase the risk of developing cancer.
Read more about nutrition and prostate health.
