Posts Tagged ‘Prostate cancer’
Lower Your Senior Risks for Cancer
- Image by kchbrown via Flickr
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.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c5295347-9bb0-494a-b7dc-b11796d739c0)
Latest Word About the PSA Prostate Test?
- Image by programwitch via Flickr
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.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=89cc8d4e-a765-4b91-9d5f-f8cbca0dc9e0)
Get PSA Blood Test for Early Detection
- Image by programwitch via Flickr
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.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6de803dc-13f4-493c-8bd9-a768f1eeee21)
Lignans Contribute to Preventing Prostate Cancer
- Image by Bad Alley via Flickr
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.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ab5fe664-26ff-474e-a036-89b090af8900)
Will Coffee Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer?
- Image via Wikipedia
One of the leading causes of death among senior men is prostate cancer. Taking preemptive steps to prevent or at least reduce the risk of contracting prostate cancer has a high priority for senior men who are seriously concerned about safeguarding their prostate health. A number of foods have previously been identified that provide a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer. Among the foods that reduce the risk are cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, green tea and tomato products containing lycopene. Recently another food was identified as providing a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.
In a large scale study of about 50,000 participants that was conducted over a period of twenty years, coffee consumption was shown to have a modest effect in protecting against prostate cancer. More significantly, when the researchers studied how much the effect of coffee consumption reduced the risk of advanced and aggressive prostate cancer they found that it reduced the risk by more than 55% for men who drank the most coffee. This latter result has not been confirmed by additional studies, but it suggests that drinking coffee in large amounts may very well reduce the risk of advanced and aggressive prostate cancer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=158efb2a-6fef-44d1-ad7a-c7f867fc0075)
Chemopreventive Spice for Prostate Cancer!
- Image by annamatic3000 via Flickr
Recent cancer researchers in Europe ran tests that used curcumin that is derived from the well known spice turmeric. They tested curcumin in order to discover how efficacious it would be as part of a chemopreventive regimen for prostate cancer. The spice turmeric is used extensively in India and curcumin is the main curcuminoid found in turmeric. Curcumin is a natural compound that appears to interfere with the proliferation of prostate cancer and its metastasis.
The researchers also found that by using curcumin, they were able to regulate the inflammatory response by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators and the signaling pathways. Their results are consistent with curcumin’s known ability to induce pro-apoptotic proteins and to reduce the the anti-apoptotic counterparts. Other reports confirm that curcumin is effective in promoting the death of prostate cancer cells by apoptosis. In their study the researchers summarized the results of their work by affirming that curcumin appears to be an effective alternative for for the prevention and treatment or co-treatment of prostate cancer. This is very good news for senior men who are concerned about taking preemptive steps against prostate cancer or finding alternative treatment or co-treatment for prostate cancer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4378aacb-407e-49e2-b1b7-7da61baa49c5)
Diet and Supplements Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk
- Image by val’sphotos via Flickr
Recent reports about the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer show that men in China and Japan have a lower rate of prostate cancer by a factor of ten compared with men in Europe and the United States. A major factor that is suspected to be behind this large difference in the rate of prostate cancer is the differences in the diet of the men from the United States and Europe compared with the men from Japan and China. In Asia the men consume more plant lignans that are known to have a protective effect.
It turns out that consuming more plant lignans from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains results in higher blood levels of dietary lignan metabolites. The higher blood levels of dietary lignan metabolites are associated with lower rates of prostate cancer in men. Other studies show that lignans reduce the volume of tumors and increase the death of prostate cancer cells. This is good news for senior men who are trying to protect themselves by taking preemptive aging steps against prostate cancer. They can increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and take newly developed supplements with concentrated lignans from Norway spruce or flax.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b29e04a9-9f62-45e3-991e-a2c3e9ae6035)
Foods for Prostate Cancer Risk Reduction
- Image via Wikipedia
These well-known vegetables that can be eaten either cooked or raw make the good list of foods that contribute to preemptive aging for the benefit of seniors. The vegetables that qualify include broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. They belongs to the same family popularly known as cruciferous vegetables, which are members of the genus Brassica. Earlier epidemiological research indicated that consuming at least one serving a week of these vegetables would help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The researchers suspected that the compounds found in these vegetables known as isothiocyantes were responsible for this cancer risk reduction effect, but they were not able to reach a firm conclusion.
More recent studies with men who volunteered for a 12 month study did a comparison of the effects of a broccoli-rich diet versus a pea-rich diet. The volunteers on the broccoli rich diet showed beneficial anti-cancer changes in their medical tests on their prostates following the 12 month study compared with their medical tests performed prior to the study. The volunteers on the pea-rich diet did not show any beneficial anti-cancer changes in their medical tests following the 12 month study. The consumption of a broccoli-rich diet had a preemptive effect on the processes that allow inflammation and carcinogenesis to be initiated. The results of this study supported the conclusion that a diet that is rich in cruciferous vegetables may lower the risk of prostate cancer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9210091f-5a92-44f7-bc0d-591686060696)
A Super Food for 2010!
- Image by Amanda Rudkin via Flickr
This grain is one of the oldest grains used by humans. Barley was first used by humans in Egypt about 10,000 years ago. Late in the 15th Century it was brought to the Americas by Columbus, but barley has never gained the same popular use in the USA as other grains such as wheat and oats. Recently a number of barley’s exciting health benefits have been discovered that have particular relevance for senior health. It turns out that barley is loaded with phytochemicals, minerals and fiber that can provide preemptive aging benefits against a range of diseases. Those benefits include protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and unbalanced blood sugar levels.
One of the components in barley that makes it rank as a super food is a particular kind of soluble fiber known as beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a fiber that we can not digest. It binds with water in our digestive system and slows the rate at which food moves through the digestive system. By slowing down the movement of food through our digestive system it moderates the body’s insulin and glucose responses following a meal. Among the top two grains that provide the most beta-glucan barley ranks above oats. This high beta-glucan content makes whole grain barley a super food in terms of helping folks who suffer from diabetes, because it reduces the peak glucose and insulin levels. Barley can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by promoting healthy blood lipid levels. Other components in Barley that add to its standing as a super food are its phytonutrients known as lignans. The lignans have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d75f66be-1833-4a40-8e6a-8933e1a937eb)
Is It Time for Your Checkup?
Prostate health is a key factor in determining a man’s overall wellbeing. It’s a common occurrence for doctors to check the prostate for irregular growth during a routine checkup. In its natural, healthy state the prostate is about the size of a walnut. If it grows much beyond that mark, doctors could have reason to suspect the presence of prostate cancer, which commonly affects older American men.
From the age of 50 – and perhaps even earlier – men are encouraged to undergo regular rectal exams in order to ensure that prostate cancer is caught in its early stages. Once diagnosed, this type of cancer can be treated through surgical techniques and radiation therapy. Because many men never develop symptoms, prostate cancer often goes untreated and leads to premature death.