Discovering your prostate gland is operating at any less than optimal function can throw you for a loop. The prostate helps you make sperm but when something goes wrong, your prostate can play a role in urinary problems, pain in your lower back and between your legs, and can even develop cancer. To ensure your prostate stays in top shape, consider adding nutritious foods into your diet that can maintain the health of this important gland.
Pumpkin Seeds
Eating healthy pumpkin seeds can help you if you're experiencing benign prostatic hypertrophy. This condition presents with an enlarged prostate as a result of the cells in this gland being overstimulated by testosterone. Research published in the winter 2009 edition of "Nutrition Research and Practice" indicates that taking 320 mg per day of pumpkin seed oil over a three-month period may serve as an effective alternative or complementary treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy by encouraging you to urinate more frequently, which strengthens the prostate. The George Mateljan Foundation for the World's Healthiest Foods website indicates that zinc, carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids found in pumpkin seeds may also contribute toward the health of your prostate.
Soy Products
Incorporating soy products into your diet may work to lower your risk of prostate cancer and it may even prevent the spread of prostate cancer. Researchers reviewed a number of studies about the correlation between soy and prostate health and published the results in the April 2009 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." The results indicate that eating soy does reduce your prostate cancer risk, although the level of protection may depend on what and how much soy products you consume. Additionally, evidence published in the March 2008 journal "Cancer Research" notes that an antioxidant known as genistein that is found in soybeans halted the spread of prostate cancer in mice, an early finding that may have promise in further research in human subjects.
Tomatoes
Eating for the health of your prostate can be as simple as adding tomatoes to your daily diet. The Prostate Cancer Foundation notes that foods like tomatoes that are rich in lycopenes, in combination with good exercise habits, can decrease your risk of developing inflammation in your prostate. Scientific evidence linking tomatoes to prostate health was published in the May 2005 journal "Biochimica et Biophysica Acta." This small study of men with prostate cancer involved test subjects eating tomato pasta sauce every day for a three-week period before their prostate surgery, which appeared to result in cancer cell death. Research published in the June 2008 issue of "Cancer Research" reveals that dehydrated tomatoes protected the prostate gland from prostate cancer in animals. More research and human testing is needed to determine whether tomatoes -- in any form -- can effectively help you maintain the health of your prostate.
References
- National Institute on Aging: Prostate Problems
- PubMed: Effects of pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil in Korean men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men
- PubMed: Role of lycopene and tomato products in prostate health
- EurekAlert: Dehydrated tomatoes show promise for preventing prostate cancer
- EurekAlert: Soy compound may halt spread of prostate cancer
