Dietary Guidelines For Prostate Cancer
There are a few guidelines that men with prostate cancer are advised to follow. By optimizing their current dieting habits according to these guidelines, the risk of cancer can be effectively reduced. There will also be a reduced risk of cancer progression in men who have been diagnosed with the disease before.
Here is an overview of the guidelines set out for prostate cancer patients:
- The diet should primarily focus on the inclusion of plant-based food. You can still include animal foods in your diet, but in moderation.
- It is important to eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. In fact, it is advised to have as many as 10 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.
- Fiber should also form an important part of a mans prostate cancer diet.
- Men should aim to reduce the number of fats in their diet. You should avoid saturated fats as much as possible.
- The consumption of simple sugars also needs to be limited. These sugars are harmful to the body, leads to low-grade inflammation, and may aggravate prostate cancer.
- The man should also ensure they drink enough fluids to keep their body hydrated at all times.
The western diet notoriously contains high intakes of red meat, processed meat, pre-packaged foods, butter, candy and sweets, and fried foods. It is a predisposing factor for the onset of diabetes and obesity, which in turn can lead to further health complications.
Fruit During Cancer Treatment
Fruit provides nutrients that you need during cancer treatment. Some fruits may also help ease discomfort. Experts recommend these, depending on how you feel:
- For nausea and vomiting: canned fruit, applesauce, peaches, and other soft fruit
- For constipation: raw fruits, dried fruits, prune juice
- For diarrhea: fruit juices, bananas, and apples as part of the BRAT diet
- For loss of appetite: high-calorie foods, including dried fruit and fruit smoothies
- For mouth sores: nectars, apple juice, canned fruit, applesauce
Other Health Benefits Of Bananas
The health benefits of bananas are truly numerous, and they go beyond their positive effect on prostate wellbeing. Some of the most significant health benefits of bananas include:
- Better heart health, reduced risk of heart disease
- Blood pressure management
- Promoting colon and digestive health
- Supporting weight loss
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Better kidney health
- Aiding exercise recovery
Bananas are also easy to add to your diet. The weight loss benefits of bananas could act as yet another mechanism through which these long fruits support prostate health. After all, excess weight increases the risk of prostate cancer and enlarged prostate.
Eating bananas make you feel full and thereby suppresses your appetite. As a result, you consume fewer calories. This is important because calorie deficit is the cornerstone of successful weight loss. By helping you slim down or maintain weight in a healthy range, bananas could indirectly lower the risk of common prostate diseases.
Recommended Reading: Green Light Laser Vaporization Of Prostate
Subjects And Study Design
EPIC is an ongoing multicenter, prospective cohort study investigating the relationships of dietary and lifestyle factors with cancer and other chronic diseases carried out in 23 centers in 10 European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom . Participants were mostly recruited from the general population. The full cohort comprises 519,978 participants including 153,457 men, most aged 3570 years, recruited between 1992 and 2000. The details of the study design used in the EPIC study have been described elsewhere.15
A study flowchart is shown in Supporting Information Figure 1. Since only women were recruited in France, Norway, Naples and Utrecht , these centers where not included in the current study, and data from 19 centers in 8 countries were included in this analysis. A total of 367,898 women were excluded. We also excluded men who were diagnosed with cancer before recruitment , those with missing dates of prostate cancer diagnosis or followup , those aged < 20 years at recruitment , as well as those who had no nondietary or dietary data, or men with an extreme energy intake in relation to estimated requirement .16 Finally, a total of 142,239 men were available for analysis.
Your Prostate Cancer Diet And Why It Matters
Foods that can increase your risk of developing prostate cancer, or those shown to encourage progression of the disease, should be avoided if you have or are hoping to prevent prostate cancer.
Your best bet is to stick to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables especially tomatoes get plenty of whole grains, and go easy on the red meat and processed foods. Think fresh on your plate to boost your health and reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
Read Also: Prostate Cancer How Do You Get It
Side Effects And Nutrition
Cancer treatment often causes side effects, such as nausea, mouth sores, and taste changes that may make it difficult to eat or drink. Follow these tips to help you get the nutrition you need:
- If water tastes unpleasant to you, take in more liquid though items such as soup, tea, milk or milk substitutes such as almond milk, or a sports drink. Or, flavor your water by adding fresh cut fruit.
- If food tastes bland, try seasoning it with flavorful spices such as garlic, cayenne, dill, and rosemary.
- Eat several small meals throughout the day instead of trying to eat large amounts of food at one time.
- Enhance your protein intake with protein from foods such as fish, egg whites, cheese, beans, or high protein smoothies.
- Suck on mints, chew on gum, or try fresh citrus fruits if you have a metallic taste in your mouth. Brushing your teeth before eating, using plastic utensils, and cooking in glassware can also help.
- If you have mouth sores or a gum infection, use a blender to make vegetables and meats smooth. Try juicing or making smoothies.Some side effects are often treated with medication, so talk with your doctor or another member of your health care team for more information.
Foods To Boost Prostate Health
Your diet can significantly affect your health, including that of your prostate.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males, affecting 1 in 8 males in the United States
Though the exact role of diet in prostate health isnt clear, several theories exist. Some experts believe that the high fat, high sugar Western diet may contribute to increased rates of prostate cancer.
Some studies have associated both diets high in dairy products and high total calcium intake through food and supplements to a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. However, more research is needed to confirm this link
When making dietary changes, youll still need to see your healthcare provider for regular prostate cancer screenings, but you can start supporting your prostate health by adding the following 6 foods to your diet.
Recommended Reading: Mri Of The Prostate A Practical Approach
The Best And Worst Foods To Eat When You Have Prostate Cancer
Being told you have prostate cancer can be a frightening experience. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and somewhat helpless in the face of a cancer diagnosis. But your diet is one thing you can control.
Video of the Day
There’s no single prostate cancer diet, but you can tailor what you eat to help you manage the disease.
What To Eat For A Healthy Prostate Cancer Diet
Are you cooking for yourself, or for a friend or family member who has prostate cancer? Learn tips on how to choose the best foods, and the best ways to cook them.
Gary Burchell/Getty Images
The best diet to follow for good health probably wont surprise you: low in fat and calories rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and focused on real foods rather than processed ones. While these same guidelines apply to men who have prostate cancer, your diet and how you prepare food may be even more important to your health after your diagnosis.
Here are some tips on how to plan prostate-healthy meals.
Also Check: Lupron Injection For Prostate Cancer
Food For Fighting Prostate Cancer
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly red ones, could be beneficial.
Registered dietitian Julie Bouwman is a fan of keeping food simple and natural, an approach that can improve your health in a variety of ways.
One way is fighting cancer.
We asked Bouwman, who works for Kaiser Permanente in Colorado, to share which foods you should eat and which you should avoid if you want to help prevent prostate cancer, which affects about 13 out of 100 men at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What kind of diet should men follow if they want to try to lower their risk of prostate cancer?
There has been research linking lowered risk of prostate cancer with a higher intake of lycopene, an antioxidant thought to have anti-cancer properties. Lycopene is found in red fruits and vegetables, particularly in tomato and tomato products. Carrots, grapefruit, red bell pepper, and pomegranates also contain lycopene. In general, its a good idea to have a healthy diet that includes 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
You are not a fan of processed food but are there any processed foods that are OK to eat?
When it comes to lycopene-rich foods, its OK to eat tomato paste, ketchup, or sundried tomatoes, all of which are processed. In fact, lycopene in processed tomato products is more easily absorbed than when you eat tomatoes whole or raw.
Where To Turn For Help With Your Diet
If you haven’t already, ask your doctor for a referral to see a dietitian. Many cancer treatment facilities have a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition to help guide you through your cancer nutrition needs.
Christie stresses the need for individualized nutrition. “Depending on where the individual with prostate cancer is in their journey and the side effects they may experience because of their treatment, sometimes adjustments to foods or your daily food routine may be necessary to ensure optimal nutrition.”
Meeting with an oncology dietitian can address allergies, medication interactions and how to get the best nutrition for your cancer treatment plan.
Some people have found success by following certain types of diets, such as the macrobiotic diet, which is essentially a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains â however, it has been known to also restrict important nutrients too. If this is a diet you are considering, speaking with a dietitian is crucial to make sure you’re meeting your unique nutritional needs.
Also Check: How Long Can You Live With Prostate Cancer Without Treatment
Foods That Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
On the flip side, many foods may contribute to the development or spread of prostate cancer. Research shows, for example, that men who consume a lot of red meat may be at higher risk for the disease. One recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that intake of grilled or barbecued meat especially well-done beef was linked to twice the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
Other meats and processed foods also are more likely to increase the risk of prostate cancer, so try to keep them off your plate. Instead, get your protein through fresh cuts of lean meats, beans, or legumes.
While low-fat dairy products can be a healthy part of your diet, you may want to take it easy on dairy. Dairy products can contain the same fatty acids found in red meats that may actually increase the risk of prostate cancer.
The Study Finds Fruit More Protective
When men in the highest fifth of total fruit intake were compared against those in the bottom fifth, it was determined that they had a significantly lower risk of developing PCa. Citrus fruits correlated significantly with this trend but not apples, pears or bananas. However, when it came to vegetables, neither total consumption nor vegetable subtypes were found to have an effect on PCa risk. There was almost link with tumor stage or grade with the exception of high consumption of leafy vegetables which were weakly linked with high grade PCa. Finally, neither fruits nor vegetables were observed to correlate with PCa mortality. Thus, the studys main finding was a higher fruit intake was associated with a small reduction in prostate cancer risk. On the other hand, the authors could not determine if this a causal connection or not.
You May Like: Chemotherapy For Prostate Cancer Stage 4
Drink Coffee And Green Tea
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, drinking one to two cups of coffee daily may help prevent prostate cancer. Also, research suggests that men who drank seven cups of green tea every day had a lower risk of this disease. But stay away from the sugar, half and half, and cream! Also, keep in mind that caffeine may be an issue for you, leading to insomnia, dizziness, fast heart rate, and headaches.
Limit charred meat and other foods.
Charred food, from grilling or frying, may be tasty, but may contain a chemical that can increase cancer risk.
Preventing Prostate Cancer: How Healthy Eating And Lifestyle Can Help
Other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Its also the second leading cause of death from cancer among men in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. While there isnt a proven way to prevent prostate cancer, there are ways to reduce your risk by adopting a healthy way of eating, as well as making some lifestyle changes.
Read Also: Prostate Surgery Incontinence Recovery Time
Considerations For Your Diet After Surgery
Prostate surgery is major surgery, so youll likely feel quite sore during your recovery. Youll want to make adjustments to your diet that help aid in recovery and reduce discomfort.
The best foods to eat after prostate surgery should be those that dont cause bloating, promote bowel regularity, and support your immune system. Protein is also important since it aids in wound healing and muscle growth after major surgery.
If you can, try to get help with meals or make some before your surgery. Standing for prolonged periods to prepare a meal can put stress on your pelvic floor, which needs rest after prostate surgery.
Unlike oral surgery or surgeries impacting your digestive system, you dont necessarily need a soft diet after prostate surgery. Soft diets can be low in fiber, which increases your risk of constipation. If you strain to have a bowel movement due to constipation, it can increase pressure near your incision site and cause discomfort.
That being said, you should eat soft food in your post surgery diet if your healthcare provider recommends it for other reasons. Otherwise, youll likely do well with solid food that is higher in fiber. Be sure to take pain medication with food to reduce stomach upset as well.
Low In Red And Processed Meat Saturated Fat And Salt
- Avoid or reduce processed meats in your diet such as ham, bacon, sausages, salami and pepperoni.
- Limit the amount of red and processed meat to between 700 to 750 grams raw meat per week, this is the same as 500 grams of cooked meat per week or about 70 grams of cooked meat per day.
- For example, 2 sausages are about 60 grams of cooked meat.
- Choose chicken or fish instead.
- Choose lean meat.
- Limit saturated fats found in foods such as fatty meat, biscuits, crisps, cheese, cream and butter.
- Use healthier unsaturated fats like vegetable, olive and sunflower oil and use small amounts.
Read Also: Vitamin D Kills Prostate Cancer
Foods To Limit Or Avoid
What you exclude from your diet is just as important as what you include. Per day, the MEAL diet allows for no more than:
- Two ounces of processed meats
- Two to three ounces of red meat
- One tablespoon of butter
- One cup of whole milk
Reducing or eliminating the following items from your diet can also promote prostate health and reduce cancer risk:
- Sugary sodas and juices
The Best Foods To Eat To Keep Your Prostate Healthy
Balance out your prostates Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality with a healthy diet
by Dr. Larry Goldenberg | Sep 23, 2021 | Eat Healthier
Urologic surgeon and clinical scientist
Dr. Larry Goldenberg
If guys internal organs were fictional characters, the prostate would be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
After all, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, with a whopping 1 in 7 guys facing a positive diagnosis in their lifetime. With September being prostate cancer awareness month, nows the time to get proactive about prostate health.
You May Like: Foods To Help Enlarged Prostate
Also Check: Hormone Shot For Prostate Cancer Treatment
Recommended Foods For Patients With Prostate Cancer
Research suggests that eating a lot of red meat and saturated fat may increase a mans risk of developing prostate cancer. Some doctors believe that continuing to eat these foods after diagnosis might cause the cancer to progress faster. As such, many medical experts recommend a plant-based diet, and findings from various studies support this notion. A plant-based diet may slow the cancers growth and progression, which can improve the patients outcome.
What does a plant-based diet look like for men with prostate cancer? In general, it consists of more vegetables, fruit, and soy. Therefore, Regional Cancer Care Associates suggests eating more:
- Fish: Instead of consuming red meat, like steak and burgers, switch to fish, such as salmon and trout. Fish also offers many nutritional benefits, including important omega-3 fatty acids.
- Fruits: Fruit, nuts, and seeds are also a healthy addition to the diet and serve as an ideal alternative to unhealthy snacks like chips and candy.
- Vegetables: Incorporate more servings of vegetables into your daily routine, especially leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and tomatoes. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which is believed to have anti-cancer effects. Vegetables are rich in antioxidants , which are protective agents that help stop the DNA-damaging effects of free radicals.
We also urge patients with prostate cancer to eat less:
Additional Diet Tips
Turn to RCCA for Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment