Switch to plant based food diet to defeat prostate cancer

New Delhi : It is very common to find men suffering from prostate cancer which is a type of non-skin cancer. It is so common that every three minutes, a man is diagnosed with it in the US, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

However, prostate cancer is preventable.

“Something most people don’t know is that 90 percent of cancers (including prostate cancer) is caused by non-hereditary issues,” says A. Daniyal Siddiqui, M.D., medical director of the Saint Vincent Cancer and Wellness Center, part of Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Essentially your daily eating and exercise habits determine a major part of how likely you are to be diagnosed with the prostate cancer. A study has found that if one switches his diet to mostly or completely with plant-based diet, then there are good chances of him avoiding the prostate. (The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland in men that lies just below the bladder and is instrumental in making semen.)

Men often suffer from an enlarged prostate as they age, so taking care of this tiny body part is essential for regulating sexual function, bladder control and overall health and wellbeing for men over 40.

Since it is the Prostate Cancer Awareness month, it is the best time to talk about the things which can help men in avoiding the disease.

What food items increases the risk of prostate cancer?

There are significant results which show how diet can impact the prostate cancer risk. Fast food and processed food are the ones which can drive you to it. Specific foods may impact your risk and the highest-risk foods appear to be animal products. “Although the data supporting plant-based diets on reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer, or for improving prognosis once diagnosed, is limited, several dietary factors including intake of processed red meat, eggs, whole milk, and saturated fat have been associated with increased risk of prostate cancer progression or mortality,” says Stacey A. Kenfield, Sc.D., associate professor of urology at the University of California San Francisco.

If you eat more than 2.5 eggs per week then also the risk increases. It is recommended to have less than one egg per week.

What should you eat to protest prostate cancer?

The study has found that people who switched their diet to plant based food, they suffered less from the risk of developing prostate cancer. As an example, one from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that men who followed a vegan diet had a 35 percent lower risk of prostate cancer (and were less likely to be obese) than individuals who followed even a semi-vegetarian diet. “You’re not only reducing the animal protein, which comes with unhealthy things like saturated fat, but you’re also eating more nutrient-rich foods,” says Zhaoping Li, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Center for Nutrition at UCLA Health in California who wasn’t connected with the study.