Natural Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Due to the toxic effects of conventional prostate cancer treatments, more and more men are seeking natural prostate cancer treatments.
Yes! Nutritional therapy, not drugs, is the cornerstone of effective natural prostate cancer treatment.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that 186,320 men will be diagnosed with the disease this year, one man in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and 28,660 will die from it.
Although slow-growing in most men, prostate cancer is considered advanced when it spreads beyond the prostate gland and, at that point, there’s no known cure. Currently, treatments such as hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, are used to slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer. Side effects from these conventional treatments can include exhaustion, impotence, incontinence, lack of appetite, easily broken bones, anemia, hair loss, nausea and diarrhea.
Diet appears to be a major determinant in the incidence of prostate cancer.
Diet seems to be a major factor in putting American men 50 years and older at risk of developing prostate cancer In a case-control study conducted in Athens, Greece, it was found that dairy products, butter and seed oils were positively associated with risk of prostate cancer, whereas cooked and raw tomatoes were inversely associated.
The Following Are Practical Steps That You Can Take Right Now to Start Treating Your Prostate Cancer Naturally.
Avoid Dairy Products
An overwhelming body of research suggests strongly that increased milk consumption is associated with increased risk for prostate cancer. Over the past 50 years, a number of studies have been done examining the link between dairy products and prostate cancer.
In Harvard’s Physicians Health Study, including more than 20,000 male physicians, those who consumed more than two dairy servings daily had a 34% higher risk of developing prostate cancer than men who consumed little or no dairy products. Several other studies have shown much the same thing
Major studies suggesting a link between milk and prostate cancer have appeared in medical journals since the 1970s. Two of six cohort studies (research studies following groups of people over time) found increased risk with higher milk intakes. Five studies comparing cancer patients to healthy individuals found a similar association. One of these, conducted in northern Italy, found that frequent dairy consumption could increase risk by two and one-half times.
In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that dairy products should be considered a possible contributor to prostate cancer. And yet another research study came out in April 2000 pointing to a link between dairy and prostate cancer: Harvard’s Physicians’ Health Study followed 20,885 men for 11 years, finding that having two and one-half dairy servings each day boosted prostate cancer risk by 34 percent, compared to having less than one-half serving daily.
The evidence that pasteurized dairy products contribute to prostate cancer is fairly substantial. For instance:
- Worldwide, men seem far more likely to die of prostate cancer in countries where dairy consumption is high than in countries where it is low.
- In a 10-year study of nearly 21,000 male doctors, those who consumed at least 2.5 servings of dairy food per day were 30 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than doctors who consumed less than half a serving.
The reasons why dairy contributes to prostate cancer are quite obvious
1. Most commercial milk brands contain synthetic growth hormones such as rBGH. And milk that contains rBGH also has especially high levels of Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1).
IGF-1 acts as an important mediator between growth hormone and growth throughout fetal and childhood development. However. A study by Harvard researchers confirmed the link between IGF-1 levels in the blood and the risk of prostate cancer. Men who had an IGF-1 level between approximately 300 and 500ng/mL had more than four times the risk of developing prostate cancer than did men with a level between 100 and 185ng/ml.
2. Natural estrogens from cows (particularly from pregnant cows) in milk may be linked to breast, prostate, and testicular cancers in humans. All are "hormone-dependent" tumors, meaning that they need sex hormones to grow.
Natural estrogens are 100,000 times more potent than environmental estrogens and that today’s cow’s milk is particularly rich in them. The principal reason is that dairy farmers now milk their cows about 300 days per year. For much of that time the cows are pregnant, and as pregnancy progresses, the estrogen content of their milk increases. Milk from cows in the late stage of pregnancy can contain up to 33 times as much of the hormone estrone as milk from non-pregnant cows.
While the average dairy cow produced almost 5,300 pounds of milk a year in 1950, today, a typical cow produces more than 18,000 pounds.
Calcium may also play a role in prostate cancer. Although the body needs some calcium, a high calcium load results in a lowering of blood levels of activated vitamin D. In the case of prostate cancer, where vitamin D is thought to be protective, high dairy intake could therefore have a harmful effect.
The Harvard School of Public Health has this to say: "A diet high in calcium has been implicated as a potential risk factor for prostate cancer. In a Harvard study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn’t drink milk at all."
How about organic milk?
Organic milk is better in many respects than conventional milk but still may be full of natural hormones. My advice: cut down on dairy products except low-fat ones. Substitute rice or almond milk for cow’s milk when possible.
Avoid animal and poultry fat
Avoid animal fat, especially from red meat, eggs, and dairy foods. Prostate cancer tends to progress more quickly when animal fat is consumed, but less quickly when vegetable fats and omega-3 fatty acids are consumed.
American men whose diets are rich in animal fats, and particularly fats from red meat, face nearly an 80 percent greater risk of developing potentially fatal prostate cancer than do men with the lowest intake of such foods, a major new study has found. Higher levels of fat in the body fuel the production of testosterone which fuels the production of prostate cells
A medical study looking at The Role of Red Meat in Prostate Cancer found men with diets loaded in fat, especially red meat, are more at risk of prostate cancer than those who cut back on fat. Men with the highest amount of fat in their diets — pork, beef or lamb — had a 79 percent greater risk of advanced prostate cancer than men with the lowest amounts, the study says.
The reason fats contribute to prostate cancer are:
1. chemicals found in the fats of meat
The fat of most commercial animal products contain residues from drugs, hormones, and chemicals used to keep modern dairy cows producing abundantly.These residues in food may increase the risk of breast cancer and other hormone-related cancers including prostate cancer.
Beef and pork fat have some of the largest concentrations of dioxin of all food sources. The FDA advises us that most dioxin exposure occurs through the diet, with over 95% coming through dietary intake of animal fats. Therefore, the main concern is in consuming commercially produced fatty meats such as Beef, Pork, Veal, and all products made with these meats such as Hamburgers, Sausage, Frankfurters, Salami, and all other processed meats.
The following is an excerpt from the very informative article titled: Questions and Answers about Dioxins: Published by the U.S. FDA. Click here to read the full article.
“Overall, the best strategy for lowering the risk of dioxins while maintaining the benefits of a good diet is to follow the recommendations in the Federal Dietary Guidelines to choose fish, lean meat, poultry, and low or fat free (skim) dairy products and to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and grain products. Lean meat includes meats that are naturally lower in fat, and meat where visible fat has been trimmed. For fish and poultry you can reduce fat by removing the skin. Reducing the amount of butter or lard used in the preparation of foods and cooking methods that reduce fat (such as oven broiling) will also lower the risk of exposure to dioxin. These strategies help lower the intake of saturated fats as well as reduce the risk of exposure” .
2. Fatty acid imbalance
What increases the risk of prostate cancer when eating red meat is the imbalance of Omega 3 fatty acids to Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids.
Commercially raised beef and pork are generally "grain fed" instead of grass fed (the natural food for grazing animals). Grass fed red meat contains a superior fat and far more Omega 3 fat than grain fed red meat. Grain fed animals have extremely low amounts of Omega 3. An insufficient amount for human health.
Lack of the essential fatty acids leads to the production oxydase. Oxydase induces cancer growth and many other chronic disorders.
Practical advice
1. Choose lean cuts of meat
The following are the leanest choices of meat and poultry, to help you make the best selections when planning your meals:
- Beef: Round steaks and roasts (eye round, top round, bottom round, or round tip), top loin, top sirloin, chuck shoulder, arm roasts, ground round, and ground sirloin (at least 90% lean)
- Poultry: Chicken, turkey, and Cornish hen with no skin (white meat is leaner than dark)
- Pork: Tenderloin, center loin, pork loin, sausage with 1g fat per ounce or less, and Canadian bacon
- Lamb and Veal: Chop or roast
Besides purchasing lean cuts, the way you prepare meats and poultry can help cut additional fat and calories. Trim off any visible fat or skin before cooking meats and poultry, and don’t dip them in batter or slather them in butter or creamy sauces. You should bake, broil, grill, roast, steam, or boil; don’t fry. Drain excess fat while cooking by placing the meat on a rack in a pan or by using a grill with a slanted surface to encourage fat drainage.
Better yet – eat organic grass-fed meats
Organic, free-range animal products contain less antibiotic or hormone residue and have a higher omega-3 and vitamin E content. These qualities make organic animal products a better nutritional choice. In addition, they generally provide better flavor than conventionally raised animals.
The fat of grass-fed animals is full of Omega 3 fatty acids from eating green grass leaves which are full of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids help decrease LDL. Grass fed beef has 2-4 times the Omega 3 levels of grain fed beef. These good fats are used by the body as essential fats not produced by our bodies for many biochemical needs in a healthy body. These good fats decrease high blood pressure and irregular heart beats. People who eat a high Omega 3 diet have 50% less heart attacks. They also had a decreased prostate cancer risk along with many other decreased health problems.
Another richly available benefit in grass-fed beef is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), another good fat. CLA has 3-5 times higher levels in grass fed beef than grain fed beef. CLAs are also stored in the fat of grass fed beef. CLAs are beneficial in muscle building and burning of fat, therefore are very helpful to person needing to lose weight, particularly diabetics. They also help the body defend itself against cancer cells by helping decrease tumor cell growth. CLAs help cancer patients stop losing muscle mass. An Irish study shows naturally occurring CLA inhibited the growth of prostate and colon cancer cells in humans.
2. Avoid processed meats
Processed meats contain chemical additives that are known to greatly increase the risk of various cancers, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, brain tumors, pancreatic cancer and many more.
Processed meat products include:
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Beef jerky
• Deli slices
• Hot dogs
• Sandwich meat (including those served at restaurants)
• Ham
• Meat "gift" products like Christmas sausages
• Meat used in canned soups
• Meat used in frozen pizza
• Meat used in kid’s lunch products
• Meat used in ravioli, spaghetti or Italian pasta products
3. Eat only free-range eggs
Avoid commercially produced eggs and eat only eggs that come from free-roaming hens. Free-range, cage-free chickens have a greater variety of diet, producing eggs that contain more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Free-range farming generally provides adequate room inside. To be certified by the USDA
Free-range organic eggs have nearly twice the vitamin E, four times the beta carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), four times the omega-3 fatty acids, and half the cholesterol. In addition, the free-range eggs have a significant amount of folic acid
Several studies have shown similar results—one even showed free-range organic eggs to have thirteen times the omega-3 fatty acids!
4. Remove the skin of poultry
When consuming chicken try to eat the white flesh as opposed to the dark meat, which contains more fat and therefore is more difficult to digest. Better yet, try to purchase organic free-range chickens, as these are free of chemical residue, have a much lower fat content, and have a higher number of Omega 3’s than Omega 6’s.
All other fatty fowl such as Duck and Goose are not recommended due to their high fat content. The skin of the chicken should be removed before consumption. U.S. researchers have found that poultry skin and eggs double the risk of prostate cancer progression.
Avoid vegetable oils
A growing body of evidence suggests that omega-6 fatty acids may play an important role in the progression of prostate cancer.
Men who consume diets rich in omega-6 fats were recently found to increase their risk of prostate cancer by 3.54 times.
Evidence is emerging that the ingestion of large quantities of corn oil may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer and stimulating the growth of prostate cancer cells once developed
Increased consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, found in corn oil and most of the oils used in bakery products, could be a reason for the rise in incidence of prostate cancer in recent years, say the researchers
The researchers believe that cancerous tumors may use omega 6 fats as a high-energy food, enabling rapid growth. Omega-3 fats are known to interfere with the various functions of omega-6 fats, they explain, and this was confirmed by the current findings. This effectively removes the cancer’s ‘free lunch’, a fact that may have clinical importance. Eating a diet with the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats may well help to keep prostate cancer within the prostate gland where it may be monitored safely or more easily treated with surgery or radiotherapy, they conclude, adding that a healthy balance of these two types of fat would be about half as much omega-3 as omega-6.
A recent study has demonstrated that omega-6 fatty acids such as the fat found in corn oil promote the growth of prostate tumor cells in the laboratory.
In the study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, human prostate tumors grew twice as quickly when omega-6 acids were introduced into cell cultures.
The study in mice found that corn oil and linoleic acid stimulated the growth of prostate cancer cells called DU145.127 Rats fed a diet rich in corn oil (20% of fat intake) were more likely to have fast-growing prostate cancer cells than those on a fat-free diet.109 An additional study found that rats fed a diet rich in fats obtained from corn oil (20%) were significantly more likely to develop carcinoma of the prostate than those fed a low-fat diet with low levels (5%) of corn oil.110
An additional study in mice using human prostate cancer cells that had been placed in the animals found that a diet rich (18%) in corn oil stimulated the growth of the cancerous cells to a greater extent than in mice who were fed a diet low in corn oil (5%).
Omega-6 acids are commonly found in corn oil. In the average American diet, omega-6 rich oils are consumed at levels 25 times greater than the consumption of beneficial oils. Healthy oils are canola oil, olive oil and fish oil. Over the last 60 years, prostate cancer diagnosis has risen at the same levels as the increased usage of omega-6 foods.
One particular omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, turns on a gene that leads directly to tumor growth, the researchers found. Their report appears in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer Research.
"Some of the fat [that] people eat can actually trigger growth of tumors," said lead researcher Millie Hughes-Fulford, director of the Laboratory of Cell Growth.
omega-6 fatty acids are found in corn oil and most of the oils used in bakery goods," says Hughes-Fulford, who is also an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). "Which means that if you’re eating a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids, it’s possible that you’re turning on this cancer cascade, which has been shown to be a common denominator in the growth of prostate, colorectal, and some breast cancers."
Use olive oil or organic coconut oil for cooking most everything
Avoid trans-fats
High blood levels of a trans fatty acid found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil were linked to an increased risk for nonaggressive prostate cancer in a review of data from the Physicians’ Health Study, Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Trans fats displace – and cannot replace – the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3), which the body needs for a variety of functions, including blood flow regulation. Studies have shown that trans fats also increase low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) in the blood, a factor which some believe contributes to heart disease.
Eat omega-3 fatty acids
Eating oily fish or taking omega-3 fatty acids supplements may help prevent the spread of aggressive prostate cancer to other parts of the body while high intake of omega-6 fatty acids, may do the opposite, according to a new UK cancer study.
Eating fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel could reduce the risk of prostate cancer by a third, according to a report in The Lancet.
Essential fatty acids — especially omega-3 fatty acids contained in large amounts in fatty fish — have already been proven to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.
The study, published online in the March 27 issue of British Journal of Cancer, found that the type of fatty acids determines how they influence the risk of metastatic prostate cancer. The UK researchers found Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit proliferation of prostate cancer cells whereas Omega-6 poly-unsaturated fatty acid, known as Arachidonic acid, enhances the proliferation of malignant prostate epithelial cells.
A new prospective study has found that increased intake of eicosapenaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic
acid decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer, in general, and reduce the risk of developing advanced disease in those already with prostate cancer.171 A new study has found that eicosapenaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid inhibit the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a key factor in the development and progression of
prostate cancer.172
Eat ground flax seeds
Researchers have found that a diet supplemented with flaxseed may reduce the formation, growth, or spread of prostate cancer.
Flaxseed provides the highest source of lignan, a plant estrogen that is touted for its anti-prostate cancer properties.
Lignans are converted by bacteria in the intestinal tract to horomone-like compounds called phytoestrogens that have protective effects against hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. In fact, consuming ground flaxseed has been shown to have beneficial properties for prevention and treatment of both breast and prostate cancer
A small study of 15 men found that a low-fat diet along with flaxseed lowered their blood prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and slowed the growth of benign prostate cells, suggesting that it might be useful in reducing risk of prostate cancer.
In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery.
Another study of 25 men with prostate cancer found that a low-fat diet along with ground flaxseed reduced serum testosterone, slowed the growth rate of cancer cells, and increased the death rate of cancer cells.
Click on http://www.oilofpisces.com/prostatecancer.html to learn more.
In the latest study from Duke University Medical, Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried and co-investigators studied the ability of flax to inhibit prostate cancer among 25 men who were awaiting surgical removal of their prostates. These 25 men were told to consume a low-fat diet that they supplemented with three tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day. They simply sprinkled it into their cereal or other favorite food.
Reporting in the July issue of the journal Urology, the researchers observed that after an average of only 34 days of supplementation with the flaxseed, the men had lowered cholesterol and testosterone levels and an increase in the number of dead tumor cells, compared to historic controls. Their levels of prostate specific antigen, used to measure tumor size, also fell.
The best way to get omega-3 fatty acids is to consume whole flaxseed. Plus, when you consume whole flaxseed, not only do you get the best plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, you also get the richest source of dietary lignans.
Eat cruciferous vegetables
A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that three or more servings of cruciferous vegetables a week slashes prostate cancer risk almost in half. The study, which involved more than 600 men with prostate cancer, was conducted in the Seattle area. This confirms data from a Canadian study showing that cruciferous vegetables, tomatoes, green vegetables and beans/lentils/nuts all substantially reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower contain cancer-fighting substances, including indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C changes the way estrogen is metabolized, and may prevent estrogen-driven cancers such as breast cancer. It’s presently unknown whether I3C is the reason cruciferous vegetables protect against prostate cancer.
The study of about 1,250 men treated for prostate cancer also showed that orange and yellow vegetables, such as squash, yams, and carrots, and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cut the risk of recurrence by about half.
Specifically, consumption of tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, green tea, and vitamins including Vitamin E and selenium seemed to propose a decreased risk of prostate cancer. Consumption of highly processed or charcoaled meats, dairy products, and fats seemed to be correlated with prostate cancer.
Eat cooked tomatoes
Men who eat a daily helping of cooked tomatoes may lower their risk of prostate cancer.
Mounting evidence over the past decade suggests that the consumption of fresh and processed tomato products is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. The emerging hypothesis is that lycopene, the primary red carotenoid in tomatoes, may be the principle phytochemical responsible for this reduction in risk
Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, which thirty-five scientific studies have found to lower prostate cancer risk. In men who have low lycopene levels, prostate cancer is likely to be especially aggressive. Lycopene is nearly four times more readily available to the body from tomato paste than from fresh tomatoes.
Most fruits and vegetables can be eaten uncooked to get full nutritional value. Tomatoes are probably an exception. More lycopene is released from a cooked tomato. This could be the reason why the decreased cancer risk was seen with tomato sauce and other tomato-based products, rather than raw tomatoes. In addition, lycopene is best absorbed through the intestine when eaten with fat.
Since lycopene is fat-soluble, it is better to prepare the tomatoes with a small amount of vegetable oil. Lycopene is also found in red grapefruit and watermelon, and in smaller quantities in crab and lobster.
Lycopene is a chemical in some fruits and vegetables that has demonstrated some potential in the prevention of prostate cancer
Lycopene is found primarily in nature in tomatoes and tomato products but is also found in carrots, green peppers, apricots, watermelon, and pink grapefruit.
Eat wild Blueberries
There is evidence that many of the compounds contained in WILD blueberries are able to fight prostate cancer at all stages of the disease, from initiation to proliferation. Sterol compounds (a type of steroid subgroup composed of steroid alcohols) and anthocyanin (which give the blueberry its color) along with other antioxidant activity that fights against free radical damage to cells and tissues have shown some promise of having powerful anti-cancer effects along with other health benefits. Most of the research has been done on cancer cells affecting the prostate and liver although there’s some evidence that the compounds are effective on colon cancer as well. In addition, the substances in wild blueberries appear to have a beneficial effect on cholesterol and urinary tract tissues.
A highly recommended Blueberry punch product is Dr Red Blueberry Punch
Based on the most powerful fat soluble antioxidants, Dr. Red Blueberry Punch is already creating much excitement in Australia where it is produced. Using raw materials like turmeric, citrus and olive leaf as well as blueberries, University of Sydney testing shows that Blueberry Punch is in a class of its own for antioxidant power. Featured in two separate articles in the Daily Mail, Dr Red Blueberry Punch is an evidence based, antioxidant enriched, blueberry concentrate.
Dr Red Blueberry Punch, an all-natural fruit juice concentrate, has already showed exciting results in shrinking prostate cancer tumors in laboratory trials carried out at Sydney University. Now the company has gained ethics approval to begin large-scale human trials.
Previous studies carried out by Dr Jas Singh and Dr Q Dong at Sydney University showed that mice fed with a 10% solution of the punch (a phytochemical cocktail) for two weeks were observed to have tumors that were 25% smaller than those fed with tap water. In fact, just after 72 hours of increasing concentrations of Blueberry Punch, prostate cancer cells showed a “dose dependent reduction in size and viability when compared to untreated cells.
Greg Jardine, the drink’s inventor, said the results were comparable to drugs used to treat prostate cancer.
Successful human trials would give the punch ‘more credibility within the medical and scientific communities’, he said, adding: "We would like it to be considered in the same league as a drug."
Blueberry Punch has been developed using the most powerful antioxidants. Blueberry Punch is made from ingredients such as turmeric, citrus and olive, and using an extraction process that targets only powerful fat soluble antioxidants like curcumin (turmeric) and limonene (citrus peel oil).
Blueberry Punch formula includes Blueberry, red grape, white grape, elderberry, raspberry, citrus skin extracts, green tea extract, olive leaf/olive pulp extracts, grape seed extract, grape skin extract, tarragon, turmeric and ginger.
Drink Green tea
Green tea has been shown to have inhibitory effects on prostate cancer cell growth. Studies in rats suggest that compounds contained in green tea inhibit the activity of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which has carcinogenic effects in the prostate.
Researchers have found that the most potent of these compounds is called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
A study in rats found that green tea has inhibitory effects on other enzymes associated with the growth of prostate cancer cells. EGCG has been found in high concentrations in the serum of green tea drinkers. EGCG and other compounds in green tea inhibit the activity of the enzyme called proteasome, a key factor in the formation of prostate cancer.
Researchers studied two groups of men with a pre-cancerous condition of the prostate. One consumed the equivalent of 12 to 15 cups of green tea a day. One did not. One year later, 30% of the men who did not consume green tea supplements developed prostate cancer. Only 3% of the men who took green tea supplements developed prostate cancer.
We think we can interrupt the process by taking a page from TCM, where consumption of green tea may be one of the factors associated with why prostate cancer is not nearly the public health threat in China that it is here in the U.S.
Population studies in Asian men have shown the protective effects of green tea. And laboratory studies have shown that green tea polyphenols can selectively kill cancer cells and in other ways slow down the progression of cancer in a number of cancer types, including lung, skin, and breast.
Soy products and prostate cancer
Countries that have a high intake of soy in their diet tend to have much lower rates of prostate cancer compared to countries where soy intake is fairly low.
Plant chemicals known as isoflavones are thought to play a key role in soy’s amazing cancer-protecting qualities. One isoflavone in particular, genistein, has been found to be effective in slowing the progression of prostate cancer.
In a study conducted at the University of California in the US, scientists added genistein to a culture of human prostate cancer cells. It was found to spur the production of a gene called p21, which inhibits the manufacture of a protein that cancer cells need to grow, so causing the cancer cells to die off. Animal studies have confirmed that genistein can reduce the size of prostate cancer tumors
The protection against cancer may come from phyto-oestrogens in soy. Phyto-oestrogens are chemicals found in plant foods (phyto means ‘plant’). They are similar to the female sex hormone oestrogen. There are different types of phyto-oestrogens. Some are found in soya bean products. Others are found in the fiber of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and flax seed. Milk may also contain phyto-oestrogens, but this depends on what the cows have been eating.
The isoflavones in soy keep cells from going rowdy," says researcher Nagi B. Kumar, PhD, RD, of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, who headed that study in Prostate. "Most cells function, mature, and eventually die off. But some cells are mutated, and they proliferate in a way that’s pointless, progressive, and wild. That’s what causes cancer, and soy seems to help stop this."
Only eat fermented soy products
In order to derive some benefit from soy, consume only fermented soy products – such as organic miso (mugi barley and genmai miso are the best), organic tempeh, soy sauce or tamari and natto. Fermented soy products have the highest levels of cancer-fighting nutrients. Fermented soy products are known to contain high concentrations of the isoflavone, genistein, and other compounds that exhibit anticancer activity in preclinical models. This is because the phytic acid, which is inherent in soy beans, has been neutralized in the process of fermentation. In addition, consuming fermented soy is very beneficial in recolonizing the friendly bacteria in the large intestine, which neutralizes the ‘unfriendly’ bacteria and allows for greater general assimilation of foods and nutrients.
Eat Turmeric
Rutgers researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.
The scientists tested turmeric, also known as curcumin, along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance particularly abundant in a group of vegetables that includes watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips. "The bottom line is that PEITC and curcumin, alone or in combination, demonstrate significant cancer-preventive qualities in laboratory mice, and the combination of PEITC and curcumin could be effective in treating established prostate cancers," said Ah-Ng Tony Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Take a good quality capsaicin supplement product
In 2006, a team of researchers from the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, found that capsaicin induced 80 percent of human prostate cancer cells growing in mice to follow pathways leading to certain death. They also found that prostate cancer tumors in mice fed with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice. Additionally, capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on cultured human cancer cells according to a scientist at the UCLA School of Medicine. It dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumors formed by cells from the same lines as those grown for the mouse models.
Click here to learn more.
Drink Pomegranate juice
Five years into a study testing the benefits of pomegranate juice, UCLA researchers report that an 8-ounce glass a day continues to keep prostate cancer recurrence away.
UCLA researcher Allan Pantuck, MD, and colleagues enrolled 46 men in a study funded by the owners of POM Wonderful Co., the maker of the pomegranate juice used in the study. The men all had rising PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels after cancer treatment; all drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice every day.
As a measure of progression, the researchers looked at the time it took PSA levels to double. The faster PSA levels double, the sooner a man is likely to see prostate cancer return.
Original results of the study, published in 2006, showed that the men’s overall PSA doubling time was nearly four times slower after they began drinking pomegranate juice.
Drink pure water
Drink at least eight glasses of water daily as dehydration stresses the prostate gland.
