Archive for the ‘Prostate’ Category
Can Green Tea Block Cancer?
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In Asia where folks frequently consume green tea researchers have discovered that the rates of many cancers are much lower than in parts of the world where folks do not consume a lot of green tea. The researchers were pleasantly surprised to discover this link between heavy green tea consumption and low rates of cancers. The lower hormonal cancer rates in Asia for breast cancer and prostate cancer are well documented. In addition to these demographic results, labs tests have zeroed in on the apparent compounds in green tea that are responsible for blocking cancer. The research in the lab identified the extracts from green tea known as polyphenols as the compounds that stopped cancer cells from growing in the lab tests.
In terms of particular cancers, a noted British news source reported that consuming green tea may block lung cancer. In Asia a researcher reported that people who did not drink green tea were at least five times more likely to get lung cancer compared with green tea drinkers. This report indicated that the results of avoiding lung cancer applied to smokers and non-smokers alike; green tea drinkers were five times less likely to get lung cancer. This is very good news for seniors who are concerned about finding preemptive steps they can take to reduce their risk of age-related cancers and foster their senior health.
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Pick the Right Type of Vitamin D
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Recently the major health publications and the press have been promoting the significant health benefits that result when folks consume an adequate amount of vitamin D. Sadly some of the reports fail to identify the form of vitamin D that produces the better health results which are especially important for achieving senior health. The form of vitamin D that produces the better health results and last for a longer time is the same form that our bodies synthesize using sunshine. This is the form of vitamin D that is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” which is vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The form of vitamin D that is often put in many multivitamins is the vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) form which is not utilized in our bodies as well as is the vitamin D3 form.
Seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to protect themselves against as many as 27 age-related diseases need to verify that they are getting the vitamin D3 form. This is particularly true in the winter months when the amount of sunshine is at its yearly lowest. Seniors who are deficient in blood levels of vitamin D3 are at greater risk to their cardiovascular health and to contracting cancers, particularly the hormonal ones.
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Increasing Prostate Awareness
Over the course of a lifetime, more than one in five males will have medical issues with their prostate. It’s important to be aware of potential risks of improper prostate health, and also to take precautions to ensure the well-being of your prostate. Ironically, maintaining a healthy prostate begins as easily as most other health improving practices; balanced diet. It’s important to avoid eating foods that are high in fat or cholesterol, and also to be sure to eat green vegetables when possible.
You can also increase prostate health by taking various vitamin supplements designed for men of all ages. The prostate can repair and prevent future damage with a correct allocation of vitamins and minerals.
Can Phytoestrogens Aid Senior Health ?
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Phytoestrogens are food sources that provide targeted health benefits over and above the basic nutritional value found in other foods. Some have been shown to preempt aging, particularly in the case of age-related diseases. For example the isoflavones, which are a major class of phytoestrogens and lignans, which are another major class, have been studied and shown to reduce the risks for heart disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers for the folks that consumed them. Lignans are found in significant quantities in a variety of foods including whole grains, vegetables, legumes and berries. Lignans are found in flax seeds and sesame seeds, too. The lignans in sesame seeds provide a synergistic effect with vitamin E to provide an anti-aging effect.
One study in the British Isles found that men with the highest consumption of lignans had the lowest incidence of prostate cancer. Parallel studies in Europe of postmenopausal woman who consumed a greater amount of lignans in their diet showed a reduced risk of breast cancer. A similar result was found in the case of pre-menopausal women; those with the highest consumption of lignans showed the lowest risk for breast cancer. This is good news for seniors, both women and men, who are looking for dietary means to preempt aging and improve their senior health.
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Lower Your Senior Risks for Cancer
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A number of years ago a signature line of a show business fellow was that ‘You are what your eat’. For seniors who want to reduce their risks of various cancers, this statement about what we eat is very true. Certain foods are known to lower our age-related risks for contracting cancers including breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and so on. Conversely, a number of foods are known to be associated with higher risks of contracting those same age-related cancers. As we age our cells are subjected to an accumulation of mutations in our genes that make us more vulnerable to contracting cancer. These mutations affect the way our genes regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In order to avoid cancer we need to restore our gene functions to a healthy state.
We can foster healthy healthy gene functions by the foods and supplements that we consume. By eliminating or greatly reducing the foods that increase our risk of cancer such as red meat, high fat dairy and sweets and replacing them with foods that support our gene health we can reduce our risk of cancer. The foods that allow us to take preemptive aging steps against cancer are vegetables, soy products, cruciferous vegetables, soy isoflavones, dietary lignans, and vitamin D3. The soy isoflavones in particular are associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
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Is Coffee Heart Healthy?
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Over the past few years a number of reports have been published claiming that coffee is good for your health or not good for your health. Finally, it appears that coffee is definitely heart healthy. These positive reports at a prestigious conference have just recently been published. The studies were presented at the American Heart Association conference that was held in San Francisco this week. This is good news for seniors including both women and men, because the enemy of healthy hearts, artherosclerosis, is the number one killer in the US. Artherosclerosis actually kills over 800,000 Americans by means of heart attacks every year.
One study reported that in the matter of artherosclerosis, drinking two to three cups of coffee daily does not contribute to hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks which are caused by artherosclerosis. Another study showed that coffee drinking apparently lowered the risk for hospitalization for folks that suffer from abnormal heart rhythms. A third study which last for 20 years and included folks from nearly every demographic group did not find any association between coffee drinking and atherosclerosis. The group included smokers and nonsmokers, blacks and whites, and men and women. The range of coffee cups consumed by the participants ranged from zero to four cups per day. The good news for seniors is that they can enjoy drinking coffee and benefit their cardiovascular health at the same time.
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Latest Word About the PSA Prostate Test?
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For a number of years men over 50 years of age have been urged by their doctors to get a PSA blood test to help diagnose the condition of their prostate. Very recently the American Cancer Society recommended changing the emphasis from it would be a good idea for men over 50 to get a PSA test to consider the potential risks of treatment before making the decision to get a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer. The reasoning supporting this change of emphasis was based on the trade off between the negative side effects of PSA screening versus the positive benefits of avoiding the test. For example a slightly high PSA blood test may detect prostate cancer, but it can be a false positive. Conversely men with apparently normal PSA scores actually have had cancer, but the test indicated that they did not have cancer. The high PSA score typically was followed by a biopsy and treatments that had negative side effects that included urinary incontinence and impotence.
For these reasons the American Cancer Society made the recommendation that men who do not have special risks of prostate cancer should take counsel with their doctors, in order to reach an informed decision about getting screened for prostate cancer. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, which represents cancer specialists, including those treating prostate cancer patients, is supporting the Cancer Society guidelines. This is good news for senior men who are about to reach the age when they need to be concerned about the health of their prostates.
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Reduce Your Cardiac Risk Factors
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The leading cause of death in the Western world is atherosclerosis. As we age seniors low density lipoproteins (LDLs) become oxidized, which results in the oxidized LDLs accumulating on arterial walls. This accumulation of oxidized LDLs on the arterial walls causes hardening of the arteries. Recent research has shown that in seniors the high density lipoproteins (HDLs) that normally prevent the LDLs from becoming oxidized are not able to perform this function. The researchers suspect that as we age one of the HDL’s helper enzymes, known as paraoxynase (PON-1), drops to a lower level in the blood. PON-1 is produced in the liver and after it is released into the blood it attaches to the HDL, in order to assist the HDL to inhibit the buildup of lipoperoxides in LDL cholesterol.
The researchers have demonstrated that there is a correlation between folks with low blood levels of PON-1 and cardiovascular disease risk. Seniors need to counter the age related drop in PON-1 levels in the blood by raising their PON-1 levels. It turns out that there are several substances that have been found to boost PON-1 levels. Pomegranate and its extracts have shown to increase the PON-1 levels in the blood by a large amount. Two other potential PON-1 boosters have been identified as quercetin and resveratrol. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to support their cardiovascular health by reducing their cardiac risk.
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Get PSA Blood Test for Early Detection
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Early detection is the key to treating prostate cancer which is the second leading cause of death by cancer among men in America. About 85% of the cases are diagnosed in men between the ages of 55 and 84, so this is of concern for senior men. This result indicates that advancing age is major risk factor for prostate cancer. At the present time the best diagnostic tool for early detection of prostate cancer is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test combined with the digital rectal exam. The importance of early detection of prostate cancer is confirmed by the reported reduction in the number of deaths by about 8% in 2006 as a result of the early detection of the disease using the PSA test. The good news for senior men is that prostate cancer is nearly 100% survivable if it is detected early.
At this time some advances are being achieved to improve the PSA testing and its interpretation. Several advances include PSA velocity, PSA density the ratio of free to total PSA. These measures can help determine the need for a biopsy. It turns out that a new test for prostate cancer is under development, that is known as the early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2) which may be more cancer specific and more accurate. The bottom line for senior men over 50 years of age is that they should have a yearly PSA blood test combined with a digital rectal exam.
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Lignans Contribute to Preventing Prostate Cancer
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For senior men effectively reducing their risk of prostate cancer requires a multi-pronged approach. What is presented here represents one major prong that emphasizes the nutritional side of prostate cancer risk reduction. For example in Asian countries such as China and Japan most men have healthy prostates. By comparison US and European men have ten times the rate of prostate cancer. Multiple research studies indicate that diet greatly influences the risk of contracting prostate cancer and dying from it. In Japan and China folks consume a lot of fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds. These foods are rich in plant lignans. Western diets are generally low in plant lignans. Lignans definitely appear to help prevent and treat prostate cancer.
The way lignans work to help prevent prostate cancer is described as follows. After the lignans enter the digestive system they are converted into what are called lignan metabolites or enterolactones that help our bodies prevent prostate cancer. Enterolactones are known to protect against hormone-dependent cancers. Several very precise studies in Europe showed that men with the highest level of enterolactones in their blood were more than 80% less likely to have prostate cancer. A parallel study reported a 60% less likely number. A third study in the US confirmed the results of the two European studies. This is very good news for senior men who are concerned about their prostate health. In addition to the lignan rich foods that are referenced above supplements are available to enhance the effect of the plant lignan rich foods.
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