What The Research Says
Steps to reduce cancer risk often include a lot of things you shouldnt do. So, it may be welcoming news to learn that something many men find pleasurable may help reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
Researchers dont understand exactly why frequent ejaculation might provide protection against prostate cancer. One theory is that ejaculation rids the prostate gland of cancer-causing materials, infection, and matter that can cause inflammation.
Despite strong evidence in favor of frequent ejaculation, the theory remains controversial. And there are . The greatest controversy regarding these studies is about the age when ejaculation occurs.
A 2008 determined that men were more likely to develop prostate cancer if they were very sexually active in their twenties and thirties. The study also found no conclusive evidence that masturbation provide greater risk than intercourse.
Prostate cancer is the second most common kind of cancer men get. Skin cancer is the most common cancer. In the United States, one in seven men will get prostate cancer at some point in their life.
The following factors affect your risk of getting prostate cancer:
You may also have an increased risk if youve had sex with 30 or more women or if youve had a sexually transmitted disease. This may be because of your sexual habits. Alternately, it could be that you have a stronger sex drive due to higher levels of male hormones, which can be a risk factor.
About Dr Dan Sperling
Dan Sperling, MD, DABR, is a board certified radiologist who is globally recognized as a leader in multiparametric MRI for the detection and diagnosis of a range of disease conditions. As Medical Director of the Sperling Prostate Center, Sperling Medical Group and Sperling Neurosurgery Associates, he and his team are on the leading edge of significant change in medical practice. He is the co-author of the new patient book Redefining Prostate Cancer, and is a contributing author on over 25 published studies. For more information, contact the Sperling Prostate Center.
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Prostate Health Is Essential For Men Especially As They Get Older And Diet Plays A Big Role Here Here Are 5 Easy Diet Tips To Keep Your Prostate Healthy
Taking measures to keep your prostate healthy is very important for warding off disease and chronic conditions, particularly as you get older. Prostate cancer, prostate enlargement and prostatitis are three common maladies that affect men of all ages, particularly those in their 60s or older.
No matter how old you are, the wellbeing of your prostate should always be a concern. While these conditions usually affect older men, you can start taking measures to help prevent them at a much younger age. A significant factor that influences prostate health is diet and nutrition. A healthy, balanced diet may help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, slow the progression of conditions such as BPH, and reduce the severity of infections like prostatitis.
Here are 5 diet tips to keep your prostate healthy!
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Ejaculation Frequency And Prostate Cancer
Despite the importance of prostate cancer, its causes remain unknown. Scientists do know that genetics plays a strong role, and they have sound evidence that diet and other lifestyle factors are also important.
Since the prostate is a reproductive organ that produces fluid for the ejaculate, researchers have long wondered if sexual factors influence a man’s risk of prostate cancer, but a Harvard study provides good news for sexually active men.
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Things You Cant Change: Age Race And Genes
Prostate cancer is primarily a disease of aging. As you get older, your chances of developing prostate cancer increase. Race and genetics also play a significant role. If you are African American, your chances of developing prostate cancer are double those of white American men. If your father, brother or multiple blood relatives had prostate cancer, you are more likely to get it, too.
Preventing prostate cancer might be difficult if you have these risk factors, but screening early and often can help ensure that if you do get cancer, its diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
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Symptoms Associated With Prostate Problems:
- Frequent urination
- Pelvic pain in the sacroiliac and perinea regions
- Muscle spasms of the hips and thighs, tight muscles, cramping, trigger points
Irritating prostate problems dont always cause trouble urinating. Low back pain and pelvic discomfort are the most common atypical symptoms of chronic prostatitis.
What Is The Prostate Gland
Your prostate gland is located underneath your bladder. This gland, located between the bladder and penis, lies just in front of the rectum. This location allows your body to excrete urine.
Your prostate creates a thick, milky-white fluid. That fluid becomes part of semen, helping sperm live longer and stay mobile. In other words, the prostate also plays a key role in your reproductive system.
Ideally, your prostate should be the size of a walnut or golf ball. By 40, it can grow to the size of an apricot. By 60, it might be the size of a lemon.
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Prostate Cancer Survival Rates Indicate That Most Who Are Diagnosed With The Disease Will Die With It Rather Than From It Still Prevention Is The Goal Here We Offer Tips On How To Avoid Prostate Cancer
If you’re worried about the prospect of prostate cancer, you’re not alone. Science is working overtime to find preventative measures. Meanwhile, there are basic lifestyle steps you can take in learning how to avoid prostate cancer.
Scientists dont know exactly what causes prostate cancer and there is no one answer to how to avoid prostate cancer. Researchers, however, have studied certain preventive measures and determined they have the potential to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They have evaluated other measures and found that the evidence supporting their effect on prostate cancer development is inconclusive.
Other preventive strategies have simply not been studied adequately for organizations to recommend their use. Finally, some recommendations regarding prostate cancer prevention have been made based on known risk factors but have not been thoroughly studied.
Prostate Cancer Nutrition And Dietary Supplements Health Professional Version
On This Page
This cancer information summary provides an overview of the use of various foods and dietary supplements for reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer or for treating prostate cancer. This summary includes the history of research, reviews of laboratory and animal studies, and results of clinical trials on the following foods or dietary supplements:
Each type of dietary supplement or food will have a dedicated section in the summary, and new topics will be added over time. Note: A separate PDQ summary on PC-SPES is also available.
Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer affecting men in the United States. On the basis of data from 2014 to 2016, it is estimated that 11.6% of U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes.
Many studies suggest that complementary and alternative medicine use is common among prostate cancer patients, and the use of vitamins, supplements, and specific foods is frequently reported by these patients. For example, the Prostate CAncer Therapy Selection study was a prospective study that investigated mens decision-making processes about treatment following a diagnosis of local-stage prostate cancer. As part of this study, patients completed surveys regarding CAM use, and more than half of the respondents reported using one or more CAM therapies, with mind-body modalities and biologically based treatments being the most commonly used.
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How Do You Keep Your Prostate Healthy
A recent study conducted on a large cohort of men throughout their life found that frequent ejaculation with a partner or solo reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Additionally, keeping your waist within a reasonable size with exercises can go a long way to keeping your prostate and your sex life in great shape.
Stay away from processed foods as much as you can and eat whole foods which nurture your body. What is good for your heart is good for your prostate. Age doesnt matter if you have your prostate health under control.
However, as you age, muscles around your bladder can become weak. This can lead to erectile dysfunction issues as well as prostate issues. Whats most important to naturally cure prostate problems is to do relevant exercises which will also improve sexual function.
Thousands of men around the world have waved good-bye to worrying about nagging urinary problems with this best natural prostate cure. Theyve rediscovered their sexual health, eliminated poor urination, restored healthy prostate function and rekindled the intimacy they thought was gone forever.
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The Following Protective Factors May Decrease The Risk Of Prostate Cancer:
Folate
Folate is a kind of vitamin B that occurs naturally in some foods, such as green vegetables, beans and orange juice. Folic acid is a man-made form of folate that is found in vitamin supplements and fortified foods, such as whole-grain breads and cereals. A 10-year study showed that the risk of prostate cancer was lower in men who had enough folate in their diets. However, the risk of prostate cancer was increased in men who took 1 milligram supplements of folic acid.
Finasteride and Dutasteride
Finasteride and dutasteride are drugs used to lower the amount of male sex hormones made by the body. These drugs block the enzyme that changes testosterone into dihydrotestosterone . Higher than normal levels of DHT may play a part in developing prostate cancer. Taking finasteride or dutasteride has been shown to lower the risk for prostate cancer, but it is not known if these drugs lower the risk of death from prostate cancer.
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Supplements That Men With Prostate Cancer Need To Know About
I recently had the pleasure of delivering the keynote address at Winthrop University Hospitals Mens Health Seminar, under the directorship of my good colleague, integrative urologist Dr. Aaron Katz.
The main theme of my lecture was that, while weve long known about the preventive effects of diet and lifestyle on cancer, its only recently that weve learned that there are things that men who are already diagnosed with prostate cancer can do to prevent a recurrence and reduce their risk of dying.
Therefore, prostate cancer has become Ground Zero for an effort to integrate the best of high-tech therapies with the most scientifically-vetted natural approaches. No longer can we dismiss diet, exercise, stress reduction, and targeted supplementation as merely weak alternatives to definitive medical or surgical treatment they need to be emphasized as vital tools to enhance survival for men with prostate cancer.
I say to my patients with prostate cancer: Lets pickle you with so many healthy nutrients that no self-respecting cancer cell would dare to hang around in your body!
The following is a list of plausible supplements that, in addition to diet and lifestyle measures , might help halt or slow the progression of prostate cancer:
4) Resveratrol: Population studies show that users of resveratrol-rich red wine have a lower incidence of prostate cancer. Resveratrol works through more than a dozen different anticancer mechanisms and selectively targets cancer cells.
Unchecked Chronic Symptomatic Prostatitis Makes You More Susceptible To Developing Prostate Cancer
Annoying prostate inflammation called prostatitis, with or without low-grade infection, affects between 64-86% of men at some time in their lives. In fact, nearly half of all men will have symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia , enlargement of the prostate gland. Symptoms can be mild to bothersome and tend to worsen with age. Men who live with unchecked, chronic symptomatic prostatitis are more susceptible to developing prostate cancer.
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Without Prostate Problem Prevention
Unfortunately, another patient fared worse than Evan. Paul was a 54-year-old successful small business owner who suffered from BPH. Most of the time, he was asymptomatic, but when his prostate became congested, it swelled to the size of an egg, big enough to block off his ability to urinate. This painful condition required inserting a sterile catheter into his penis at the ER to let urine out.
Like many men, Paul silently suffered his nagging, often embarrassing, prostate condition. Yet, his urologist was reluctant to prescribe a long-term course of low-dose antibiotics because his urine cultures did not show bacterial growth. Paul had severe BPH, not an infection. Nor did he have prostate cancer.
When he came to see me, I recommended an intensive, integrative program including acupuncture to relax pelvic muscle spasms, supplements to reduce prostate swelling, and an anti-inflammatory diet. In six months, Pauls prostate gland was smaller, less congested, and his urinary flow improved.
Lowering Prostate Cancer Risk
While medicine is not yet able to change PCa risk factors such as genetics, considerable research goes into lifestyle changes that can lower the odds of developing PCa. These include things like diet, exercise, stress management, quitting smoking, and avoiding exposure to environmental toxins. Apparently, its time to put sexual behavior on that list.
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Cut Down Or Cut Out Alcohol And Processed Foods
Both alcohol and processed foods can cause unhealthy inflammation in your body. Youll want to eliminate processed foods, which are also low in nutrients and high in chemicals that could compromise your health.
When you shift your focus around eating to nutrition instead of taste alone, you may find that youre so full of pomegranates and cucumbers and other good foods that you dont have room for nutrition-poor processed foods, alcohol, and other indulgences.
Natural Prostate Herbal Supplements:
For my male patients, I recommend prostate formulas containing saw palmetto extract standardized to contain 85% fatty acids and phytosterols. The amino acids L-glycine, L-alanine, and L-glutamic acid help nourish prostate tissue. Zinc picolinate 30-90 mg is also helpful for preventing chronic prostate conditions.
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Is It Easy To Orgasm This Way
Lets say it may take some practice and patience.
Actual clinical research on prostate-induced orgasms is seriously lacking, so we dont know how common it is or if its possible for everyone with a prostate to have this type of orgasm.
Every body is different, so some experimenting to see what feels good is in order. If you do manage to have one, reproducing it will be easy.
Select Plant Protein Over Animal Protein
Having a high amount of protein in your diet is also essential when trying to keep your prostate healthy. Instead of always resorting to animal protein, you need to try to incorporate more plant-based proteins into your diet. Eating things like beans and other legumes is a great source of protein.
According to the World Health Organization, men who have diets that are high in animal fats have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. This is why using plant based protein is so essential when trying to avoid prostate issues.
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Can You Fully Recover From Prostate Cancer
Yes, when diagnosed early and treated promptly, the chance of curing prostate cancer can be almost 100%. However, when prostate cancer is metastatic, it is treatable, but cure is not possible.
For those who undergo a prostatectomy, the postoperative short-term recovery involves a night in the hospital and regaining your mobility. After youre able to walk, you will return home to recuperate for a month before returning to work. You also cannot lift heavy objects for 6 weeks or drive for 7 to 10 days.
Long-term side effects of prostate cancer treatment include urinary dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, bowel issues, infertility and issues resulting from hormone therapy. However, with pelvic floor physical therapy and medications, long-term side effects can often be treated.
Maintaining Good Nutrition During And After Treatment
Maintaining a healthy diet can help you prepare for and recover after cancer treatment. It may also help to prevent the prostate cancer from coming back.Watching your weight may also reduce your risk of dying from prostate cancer. Recent studies have indicated that the risk of dying from prostate cancer is more than double in obese men diagnosed with the disease compared with men of normal weight at the time of diagnosis. Obese men with local or regional disease have been shown to have nearly four times the risk of their cancer spreading beyond the prostate or metastasizing.
Prostate cancer treatment may affect your appetite, eating habits, and weight, but it is important for you to maintain a healthy weight, get essential nutrients, and remain as physically active as possible.If you have difficulty eating due to side effects from treatment, there are ways to make eating more comfortable. Working with a registered dietitian/nutritionist can help make sure you are getting the nutrition you need.
Unfortunately it is possible for the side effects of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy to cause you to lose your appetite, eat less and lose weight. On the other hand, some treatments, such as androgen deprivation therapy may cause weight gain for some men.
, Prostate Cancer and Nutrition featuring Margaret Martin, RD, MS, LDN, a nutrition educator from PearlPoint Nutrition Services.
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