Cancer prevention

Nutrition in prostate cancer prevention

The role of physical exercise is also beneficial

A lot of studies have proven that nutrition and specifically some of its ingredients play a significant role in preventing various chronic and serious diseases. One of these diseases is prostate cancer. On the other hand it is known that the mediterranean diet has a protective action and reduces the probabilities of developing not only of cancer, but also of cardiovascular disease, whilst, on the contrary, the western type of nutrition increases these probabilities. Up to now the knowledge regarding the relationship between prostate cancer with nutrition and body weight, in accordance with the data of the greater and most recent perspective studies, shows that selenium, vitamin E, tomato, lycopenium and legumes have a protective role. However, there is no stable correlation between prostate cancer and vegetables, fruits, coffee, tea, cartenoids, vitamins A and D, meat and eggs. There is, however, a probable adverse correlation between prostate cancer and certain kinds of meet, alcohol, dairy products, foodstuff fat, obesity (particularly belly fat) and smoking.

Research carried out by the University of Chieti in collaboration with the University centre of Napoli in Italy, has shown that consumption of fresh tomato sauce helps significantly in the prevention of prostate cancer. For the specific research, published in the scientific journal Cancer Prevention Research, genetically mutated guinea pigs were used, and a detailed study of the appearance and spread of prostate cancer in all its stages. The researchers established that, if fresh unpeeled tomato sauce is included in the food, the probability of prostate cancer appearing and the inflammations connected with the disease is reduced significantly. n accordance with the details of the research, the guinea pigs that were fed on fresh tomato sauce (at least 10% of the daily food intake) presented a reduced mortality up to 67%. Also, the tumour spread at slower rates, there was a significant antioxidant action and the indices that indicate the severity of the inflammation, were relatively low. A positive anticancer influence, which, according to the Italian study, surpasses that of lycopenium, the only tomato ingredient, known up to now, for its beneficial influence. Antioxidants, also act protectively. They are chemical combinations that counteract the free roots, produced in our body daily and are responsible for carcinogenesis. The most significant antioxidants that are involved in the prevention of prostate cancer are lycopenium, zinc, couorsetine, tannins, selenium and vitamins A, C and E. Lycopenium is a substance found mainly in tomatoes, particularly cooked tomatoes. Zinc is found mainly in shellfish and meat. Couorsetine is found mainly in apples, apricots and red wine. Selenium is found in nuts, fish and whole ground cereals. Vitamin A we find in carrots, yellow and red fruit and vegetable, vitamin C in citrus (orange, lemon, and grapefruit), and vitamin E in fatty fish, nuts and spinach.

Maintaining, therefore, healthy weight and adopting regular physical exercise appear to act protectively against the appearance of prostate cancer. It is, therefore, recommended, to maintain our weight within the healthy limits (Body Mass Index between 20 and 25) and exercise regularly ( at least 30 minutes of mild aerobic exercise daily). The effort not to increase body weight, particularly fat around the belly, a nutrition without a lot of meat and animal fat, with plenty of legumes and vegetable oils, fish twice weekly, a reasonable consumption of alcohol and dairy products, a large intake of tomato, especially cooked, and n certain individuals the additional administration of selenium, appear to be useful for men of every age. Cancer can be beaten.