Foods to eat to prevent prostate cancer

Like most other diseases, prostate cancer is getting younger too. And that has a lot to do with the fact that our lifestyle is changing - towards worse. The good news though is that the kind of diet we follow can help prevent it.

As September just went by, which is celebrated as the prostate cancer awareness month worldwide, now's the perfect time to begin plating foods that can help keep this dreaded cancer away.

Like tomatoes? Now cook them and eat. There is some evidence that the antioxidant lycopene from tomatoes (especially cooked or processed) may lower the risk. Tomato chutney anyone! Other foods that deliver lycopene are guavas, watermelon, carrots, papaya and mangoes - and they all help. So pencil in one lycopene-rich food a day, every day!

And when you are at it, why not make that a combination of lycopene and lutein (another antioxidant)? Research shows that while foods containing either compound offer a protective benefit, it's actually the combination of the two that is even more effective.

That is, eating them together offers better protection against prostate cancer than eating them separately. Lutein is found in kale, spinach, mustard and turnip greens, romaine lettuce and to a lesser extent in zucchini, brussel sprouts and broccoli too.

So next time you cook spinach sabzi, put in heaps of tomatoes please. And why not make a broccoli, carrot bake or a watermelon lettuce salad tonight?

Hot cocoa anyone! Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavonoids called flavanols, which include procyanidins, epicatechins, and catechins. Studies have shown that people with high blood levels of flavonoids have lower risk of prostate cancer (it also cuts risk of getting asthma, heart disease and diabetes).

Drinking a glass of red wine a day too can cut the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have reported that men who drank four to seven glasses of red wine a week almost halved their risk.

But there's a catch here: you need to stop yourself from going overboard, as heavy alcohol drinkers are twice as likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer as compared with moderate drinkers. And if alcohol is not your poison, then you can sip green tea, as catechins in it work as prostate cancer cutters too.

More than half of the body's zinc supply is found in muscle tissue. But this mineral is also found in other parts of the body, including the prostate gland, and is essential for its proper functioning. Zero in on zinc-rich foods like wheat germ, spinach, cashews, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and mushrooms consciously.

Two more nutrients which are very effective in prevention are vitamin E and selenium; so gorge on leafy greens, almonds and sunflower seeds to score E, and sunflower seeds, tuna and whole grain bread for enough selenium.

Be careful of these

A diet high in saturated fat is known to increase the risk of prostate (and a few other) cancers. They might even make you gain weight, which is another known risk factor.

Too much meat is a bad idea too (yes, that meat burger dripping with cheese is included in this list), so go easy. On the other hand, there is some evidence that soy may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, so tofu or nutri nuggets might prove to be good alternatives for some meatless days.

Research has also reported that regular consumption of certain deep-fried foods, including doughnuts and fried chicken, is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.

This type of cooking leads to formation of potentially carcinogenic agents such as aldehydes, acrolein, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and acrylamide - and result in 30-37 per cent increased risk of prostate cancer among men who choose to eat fried chicken at least once a week. And if you like to order a serving of French fries along with it, then the risk multiplies.

Canned foods - soups, tunas, gravies, etc - are also a bit risky as these cans are usually lined with BPA, or bisphenol A, and this can up the risk of prostate cancer (breast cancer too).

Also read - 12 simple ways to cut cholesterol