My grandpa had prostate cancer which spread to his colon and liver and sadly, he eventually died. :( If it was caught sooner or perhaps if his diet was different then the cancer could have been prevented. In fact, it's the number one cancer in men.
There have been other members of my family impacted by prostate cancer, so this November I am proud to support my bf in growing a "stache"... for Movember! He also happens to work for Mercedes-Benz Canada and they are a major partner in Movember, so it only makes sense that I share his donation page with you (at the bottom). I will be sure to post the stache once it's long and unruly!
Now because I'm a holistic nutritionist, my focus is always on prevention and creating awareness which is why I actually really like Movember. I looked up some stats and found out the following about Movember:
93% of participants spent time thinking about improving their general health
59% carried out personal research on mens health issues during Movember
87% understood that their health depends on how well they take care of themselves
Movember is making a difference. So I must share my tips with you for keeping your prostate in excellent health, so you don't become another cancer statistic.
Think about Zinc! Are you getting enough?
50% of men with prostate cancer are deficient in this very important mineral. And this is bad news because the prostate tissues are highly dependent on zinc to maintain their health. (Side note: Zinc increases sperm count and sperm motility). Good levels of zinc mean LOWER levels of estrogen and prolactin which REDUCES the risk of prostate disease.
And that's not all. Zinc prevents the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a VERY potent testosterone. When testosterone levels decline, as happens when men age, the prostate gland converts testosterone to DHT. DHT breaks down testosterone causing a range of problems including prostate enlargement, potentially prostate cancer (even male baldness since it can damage the hair follicles).
Sources of zinc include:
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pecans
Cashews
Pine nuts
Macadamia nuts
Sesame seeds
Coconuts
Organic spinach
Spirulina
Seaweeds (Irish moss, kelp, nori)
Oysters
Have a small handful of pumpkin seeds with some dried apricots as a healthy snack!
Flaxseeds
In a study conducted at Duke University, men who supplemented with 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed per day reduced testosterone by 15%, slowed the growth rate of cancer cells and increased the death rate of cancer cells after only 34 days. This is likely because flaxseed lignans bind to male hormone receptors and promote the elimination of testosterone.
Eat your ground flaxseeds boys, but please purchase them "whole" and grind them yourself in an unused coffee grinder. Make sure you store them in the fridge and don't keep freshly ground flax more than a week or two max as they lose their good fat content.
How to get more ground flaxseeds into your diet:
Sprinkle on organic greek yogurt
Mix into a smoothie
Sprinkle on pasta, salad, soup
Eat your veggies!
Lycopene-rich vegetables including tomatoes (especially tomato paste), spinach, kale, mangoes, broccoli and berries when eaten daily have been proven to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and increase prostate health!
Cool fact: If you eat a good fat such as avocado or extra-virgin olive oil with your lycopene-rich veggie, then you actually enhance the absorption of this incredible antioxidant. Need a lycopene-rich delicious recipe? http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/09/01/beautifying-local-tomato-salad-with-fresh-basil-avocado/
Reduce your consumption of the 3 nasties!
Alcohol, especially beer
Caffeine
Sugar
Why? All of these have an adverse affect on the way testosterone is metabolized and cleared from the body.
Reduce your toxic load as much as possible.
Your diet should be as free from pesticides and other contaminants found in more than just non-organic food (ie. your carpet or window cleaner), such as dioxins, polyhalogenated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene, dibenzofurans. It is quite possible, states Michael Murray, ND and author of "Healing Foods", that the tremendous increase of prostate cancer reflects the ever-increasing exposure of toxic compounds. A diet rich in whole foods, with as little processing as possible will help prevent prostate cancer and protection against these toxins.
Of course, lemon and water every single morning on an empty stomach is an effective way to aid the body in detoxification too.
As mentioned above, my man is participating in Movember and if you want to make a donation to the cause, then please see the link to his donation page here: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/2209390/ He just started, so even a donation of $10 makes a difference! Thank you!
Have a joyous day!
Joy
Joy - I just sent this to my father and brother. Prostate Cancer also runs in my family and I am scared to death about the treatments that my Dad is about to undergo. Do you know of any good nutritional tips that someone can follow while undergoing radiation therapy? This is one area I need to do more research on, any info you can provide will seriously be helpful! Thank you in advance! Vani (Food Babe)
ReplyExcellent, thanks for sharing! I'm not an expert on nutrition while undergoing radiation therapy, however, if you email me at [email protected] I can pass you along to another nutritionist who is!
Hi Joy, My Zaidy also died of prostate cancer -diagnosed too late I believe. I was wrestling with donating money to Movember with all the articles I read about conventional cancer therapy focusing on drugs and radiation and I dont really want my money to go toward funding for Big Pharma. I get that it might help participants think about their own health and prevention but do you know where the money is ultimately going? I recall looking up the charities and it seemed like only a small portion was going toward education and awareness and none of the programs would support natural/alternative based cancer treatments. I feel bad not supporting my family and friends but I hope they understand my position!
ReplyI don't know what amount goes to "big pharma" - hopefully none as they certainly don't need any more! Unfortunately, not many cancer fundraising events funnel money into natural treatments. However, a large portion goes into research which is important for both the people with cancer and those who want to prevent it. Just as you probably saw on my facebook wall, I support Movember because it creates awareness. Furthermore, it provides support for people going through cancer treatment. I think it's wrong that so many turn a blind eye to those who are already sick (not you). Yes prevention is how we will ultimately lower rates of cancer, but providing support programs to those who are sick with cancer is important - I'm talking about the simple everyday programs like a support care working buying groceries for someone who is very ill, or driving someone to do an errand who needs assistance. Anyhow, the main point of this article specifically is to give men tips on how to take better care of their prostate. This is info that should be shared!
[...] cancer are deficient in zinc. Mrs. McCarthy wrote a very interesting article on her website: It’s Movember! Tips for a healthy prostate any man can do, where she [...]
Reply[...] seeds: A wonderful source of immune-enhancing, beautifying, prostate-loving zinc. A source of phytosterols, which have a similar structure to cholesterol actually help to lower [...]
ReplyHey Joy, We're learning about Zinc in my Clinical Nutrition class right now and it made me think of this article. Apparently Zinc is actually toxic to the prostate gland when it becomes cancerous which is why it aggressively down-regulates its ability to concentrate the nutrient. So men become purposely low in Zinc. This is according to Dr. Philip Rochoutas. I doubt eating high-zinc foods is problematic at all (which is what you suggest, which is fine I'm assuming, since the body can much better regulate how much it absorbs from food) however the problem is supplementation. Supplementing with Zinc at this time (when a man has prostate Cancer) is a bad idea according to research. Figured I'd put it out there!
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