The prostate may be one of the smallest organs in a man's body, but it packs a large wallop. If you're a man with prostate problems, you may suffer not only from a range of sexual and health problems but also embarrassment and lowered self-esteem. New research is finding that lifestyle changes such as altering your diet can improve prostate health and may even help prevent prostate diseases like cancer.
Identification
The prostate is about the size of a walnut that sits below the bladder and helps make semen, the fluid that carries sperm from the testicles. When it becomes inflamed, enlarged or cancerous, you may find you are passing more urine during both day and night. You may also find you have less urine output, experience an urgent need to go to the bathroom more frequently, or feel a burning sensation or pain during urination. The three most common types of prostate problems are prostatitis, or inflammation; an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia; and prostate cancer.
Significance
As many as 50 percent of men experience symptoms of an enlarged prostate by age 60, and 90 percent of men will report symptoms by age 85, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Prostate is the most common cancer in U.S. men, and in the year 2006, 203,415 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with 28,372 deaths.
Considerations
Although studies haven't confirmed a direct link between overall obesity and prostate cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation reported that excess fat, especially the fat around the middle of your body, has been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including prostate cancer and particularly aggressive prostate cancer.
Expert Insight
Neal D. Barnard, M.D., founder and president of The Cancer Project and adjunct associate professor of medicine at George Washington University, recommends a low-fat, vegetarian diet for a healthy prostate, and if you already have symptoms, try supplements such as saw palmetto, cold-pressed flaxseed oil, vitamin E and vitamin B6. He also says to avoid caffeine and keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. The Mayo Clinic adds that you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, particularly foods high in folate, a B vitamin found in spinach, asparagus and some beans, as well as vegetables with diindolylmethane, a nutrient found in cruciferous foods such as broccoli, kale and cabbage, that might protect against prostate cancer. Other Mayo Clinic suggestions include drinking antioxidant-rich green tea and getting enough vitamin D. The Prostate Cancer Foundation reports that excess sugar intake is further linked to prostate cancer growth through its interactions with insulin.
Warning
You should get an annual prostate checkup, a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen test, which may discover the problem in its earliest stage, when treatment can be most effective. If you think you have prostate problems, you shouldn't try to cure it through diet alone and seek medical advice.
