By and far prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American Men. One in six will be diagnosed over a lifetime. The good news for those who’ve been diagnosed, your odds of surviving 10 years are roughly 93 percent. Another positive fact is that death rates have dropped 20 percent since they peaked in early 1990.  This is all good news, but on the down side, researchers have not figured out how to PREVENT it all together but have come up with some conclusive evidence on what to do to DECREASE your chances of being diagnosed.

What’s the Evidence?  

The evidence that foods containing lycopene, an antioxidant pigment found in tomatoes and other red fruits, can reduce risk of prostate cancer has been judged probable. This is one of the reasons the American Institute on Cancer Research (AICR) recommends eating at least five portions a day of a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of lycopene are tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, red cabbage, persimmons and guava.  Some studies suggest that eating processed tomatoes with some oil or fat (for instance, tomato sauce) makes it easier for your body to absorb lycopene, compared to drinking raw tomato juice. According to AICR experts, diets high in lycopene containing foods could prevent eleven percent of prostate cancers in the US every year.  That’s about 21,000 cases each year.  

 Evidence from trials using supplements of selenium provide probable evidence that the mineral reduces prostate cancer risk. However, the overall evidence on supplements and cancer is inconsistent some trials show potential increases in risk which prevented the panel from making a general recommendation to take selenium supplements, or any dietary supplements, for cancer prevention. It’s best to get your selenium from whole foods such as:  egg yolks, seafood, poultry and kidney, liver and muscle meats contain the mineral. Vegetables — mushrooms, garlic, onions, broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes and others — as well as whole grains and seeds.   One thing to keep in mind is that selenium content of plant foods varies according to the amount of the trace mineral found in the soil that it’s grown in.  

What should I avoid?

Two things that have been shown to increase your chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.  1.) According to the AICR experts, diets high in calcium are a probable cause of prostate cancer.  In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 47,000 men were tracked for 16 years.  Those who consumed 1,500 to 1,999 mg calcium from food and supplements combined had an 87 percent higher risk of fatal prostate cancer, compared to those who got less than 750 mg.  a day.  And the risk increased two times when participants consumed 2,000 mg or more daily.  2.) Carrying extra weight can increase your risk as well. In the Cancer Prevention Study II.  70,000 men were tracked for roughly 10 years and the risk of fatal or metastatic prostate cancer was 54 percent higher in those who were obese, compared to those who were of normal weight.

The Bottom Line:

•Lose excessive weight.  Our office offers a variety of weight loss programs to help achieve a healthy weight and decrease your prostate cancer risks.

•Don’t rely on supplements to prevent cancer

•Eat cooked tomatoes or sauces along with other red colored vegetables

If you have a nutrition question you’d like answered in this column send it to   oconeenutrition@yahoo.com with “Question for the Breeze” as the subject title.

Lisa Eisele, RD, CSO, LD is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. She also holds a Board Certification as a Specialist in Oncology Nutrition. Lisa and her partner Stacy Paine, RD, LD own Oconee Nutrition Consultants, LLC located at Cowles Clinic.  (706) 473-5801.