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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Boost Immune System With This Fish Oil
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Less than 15 years ago a compound discovered in a particular fish liver oil was identified as providing an immune system boost. The physicians who researched this compound were seeking a way to boost their patients immune system against a particular cancer. The compounds that were identified as building immune system against the cancer were identified as alkylglycerols. These alkylglycerols were obtained from the livers of coldwater sharks such as the Greenland shark. The fact that cancer is very rare in sharks may be due to the presence of alkylglycerols in their livers. The researchers found that the biologic effects of shark liver oil include stimulation of blood leukocyte and thrombocyte production as well as the activation of macrophage and anti-tumor activity.
Put another way, alkylglycerols led to lowered cancer cell reproduction and a reduced ability of the cancer cells to invade healthy cells. The authors concluded that alkylglycerols possess both cancer preventative properties, as well as cancer treatment effects. Alkylglycerols are beneficial against other enemies of our health, because they are known to increase the production of certain cytokines that attack viruses. According to some researchers, viral infections such as influenza or the common cold, can be prevented or reduced significantly by the addition of shark liver oil, taken at the first sign of symptoms. This is very good news for seniors who are concerned about fostering their senior health with an immune system boost.
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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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What Are the Tiny But Heart Healthy Seeds?
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Recent studies have shown that these tiny seeds contain two unique seed lignans that contribute in multiple ways to foster healthy hearts in order to assist in preventing cardiovascular disease. The seeds that manifested these remarkable properties are none other than sesame seeds. The two lignans are known as sesamin and sesmol. They have been shown to fight inflamation, boost the body’s antioxidant capacity, and enhance vitamin E bioavailabilty. Its ability to boost the body’s antioxidant capacity has been shown to inhibit artherosclerosis. The researchers suspect that the way the sesame lignans inhibit artherosclerosis is a result of working synergistically with vitamin E in the body.
Vitamin E is a very strong fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cells from oxidation. The alpha component of vitamin E is well known and is included in typical multivatamin supplements. More recently the importance of the gamma component of vitamin E has ben discovered. It turns out that the gamma tocopherol may be the more effective in in quenching a nitrogen-based free radical that is associated with many inflammatory processes. In addition the gamma tocopherol inhibits the formation of pro-inflamatory prostaglandins which are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Additional good news concerns sesame seeds ability to increase both alpha and gamma tocopherols in the body. In fact some researchers found that sesame helped prevent the breakdown of gamma tocopherol in the body. This is good news for seniors who are searching for preemptive ageing steps that they can take to foster their senior health.
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Prostate Cancer Risk Reduction for Seniors
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Men entering their senior years have an increased risk of prostate cancer. The good news is that a number of preemptive aging steps can be taken that will reduce that risk. Many factors contribute to the risk of senior men contracting prostate cancer, but changes in lifestyle and nutrition can provide protection against it. Lowering the risk increases the probability of escaping protate cancer. For example diets that are high in Omega-6 and saturated fats increase the risk, but the Omega-3 fats found in fish oil decrease the risk. Adding plant foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, and soy protects against prostate cancer and numerous other diseases.
Adding key supplements to senior’s diets can further reduce the risk. Vitamin D has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Vitamin E was used with selenium in an extensive study that produced a negative result in terms of preventing prostate cancer. Fortunately for senior men an analysis of that study revealed that only one component of vitamin E, the alpha component, was used. Other studies have shown that the gamma component of vitamin E is needed to balance the alpha component. Seniors can add both components by means of supplements or by adding foods that are rich in all the components of vitamin E. For example almonds, sunflower nuts and asparagus provide the full spectrum of vitamin E.
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Zinc Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
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As seniors age one of the diseases that stalks them is osteoporosis. This disease is an enemy of senior health; it can rob seniors of the enjoyment of their senior years. Recent research into the nutritional components that support strong, healthy bones revealed that a well known mineral plays an important role in decreasing bone aging. The mineral that was identified in the study is zinc. The researchers were studying the role of zinc as an essential component of nutrition in the development of humans. What they discovered was the strength of bones was correlated with their zinc content.
Of particular interest for seniors was their finding that identified how increased zinc content was related to the strength of bones. In addition they discovered that zinc had a stimulatory effect on bone formation. Both these findings are good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive measures to ensure their senior health. The researchers found that several properly prepared compounds of zinc could actually provide a restorative effect on bone loss that was age related.
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Try Mediterranean Diet for Longevity
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For seniors who are looking for a longevity diet the Mediterranean diet is a sure fire answer. It has been used to preempt aging in the Mediterranean world for centuries. Recent European studies have confirmed what the ancients already knew and practiced successfully. A US-based study has confirmed the proven life-extension benefits that were known in the ancient world and confirmed by the recent European studies. The US researchers were from a cancer institute, but they tracked the diets of over 375,000 men and women between the ages of 50 to 71. The researchers particularly tracked who would die from cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The folks who scored 66% or higher on a nine point system based on the elements of the Mediterranean diet had a much greater chance of living over ten years after the start of the study compared with those who scored below 44%. The elements in the Mediterranean diet included fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, fats such as olive and canola oil, small amounts of red meat and alcohol. The study did not measure any dairy products, but the Mediterranean diet usually includes small amounts of dairy products typically cheese and yogurt.
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Senior Men Need Complete Vitamin E
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Good health requires good nutrition which includes all the standard vitamins including vitamin E. Vitamin E is an active antioxidant that protects vitamins A and C as well as selenium and fat compounds from being oxidized. Good food sources of vitamin E include almonds, asparagus, avocados, spinach and other green leafy vegetables as well as wheat germ and eggs. The food sources contain the full spectrum of compounds that make up vitamin E. These eight compounds are known as tocopherols and they are labeled starting with alpha through theta in the Greek alphabet.
The alpha component is typically included in multivitamins. One large scale study that was designed to show that vitamin E would help to prevent prostate cancer produced a negative result. The study used the alpha component of vitamin E. It turns out that senior men need to consume the gamma component of the vitamin E tocopherol for their good senior health particularly their prostate health. Recent research results appear to indicate that senior men who are not getting the full spectrum of eight tocopherols, particularly the gamma component, may not be doing their prostates any favors. This is why senior men need either to consume foods with sufficient vitamin E or to take special supplements that contain the full spectrum of all the vitamin E tocopherols.
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Weakened Immune System Promotes Infection
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As seniors age their immune systems decline leaving them more susceptible to a host of infections including those from viruses, fungi, and bacteria. In the case of cancer cells unless the immune system inactivates them or kills them, they will spread and develop into a fully developed malignant tumor. Studies of the pathology of free radicals has shown the link between the damage caused by free radicals and the weakened immune system in aging seniors. For example between 1982 and 1992 deaths due to infectious diseases increased by 22% according to a report in a major American medical publication. The same publication laid much of the blame for this increase on lack of preventative health care.
The good news that seniors can take from this report is that they can take preemptive steps about how to boost immune system. The lack of preventative health care can be reversed by taking simple preemptive aging measures for building immune system. One of the most important steps that seniors can take is to follow a daily antioxidant regimen that includes fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals that protect against free radical pathologies that suppress the immune system. It turns out that free radical pathologies have been implicated in most of the disease processes of aging. The main disease processes of aging include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and cataracts as well as other degenerative diseases.
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Give Your Immune System a Boost
Our stressful lifestyle has brought about a rise in the incidence of various ailments such as cancer, diabetes, and other stress-related diseases. More and more people complain too of headaches, back pains, and neck pains. Aside from a change in lifestyle, we can also feed our bodies with healthy food. Vegetables and fruits are the way to go because these contain vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to fight the free radicals which cause cancer and premature aging.
If you are wondering how to boost immune system even more, you can supplement your diet with natural vitamins and minerals. Many inexpensive vitamins and minerals can greatly improve your immune system and shorten the time that you are ill. Not only will they help you when you get sick, they will also aid in prevention.