How to Prevent Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is a serious disease that affects thousands of men every year. About 60% of prostate cancer cases are seen in men who are older than age 65. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2019 the number of American men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer is 174,650.  For this reason, people wonder whether there is any way of prostate cancer prevention. However, doctors say that there is no definite answer to the ‘how to avoid prostate cancer question. Rather, it is possible to significantly decrease prostate cancer risk. Why is that so? Like other types of cancer, prostate cancer is also caused by an inappropriate proliferation of cells, and there may be a spontaneous effect that does not result from many factors. Every man is at risk for developing prostate cancer. Even more, nearly 80% of men who are 80 years old have prostate cancer cells in their prostate. Besides being male, there are other factors including age, race, and family history that may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

In this article, we will show you how to avoid prostate cancer as much as possible using information regarding prostate cancer causes and prostate cancer prevention methods.

READ: Prostate Cancer Treatment Guide: Causes & Prevention

Eat Healthy, Eat Spicy

Specialists suggest abstaining from certain foods to prevent prostate cancer. Researchers also suggest that a fat-rich diet may be a factor for the risk of prostate cancer. The disease is much more common in countries where meat and dairy products are mostly consumed compared to countries where the regular diet consists of rice, soybean products, and vegetables.

If you wonder how to prevent prostate cancer naturally, controlling what and how much you eat seems to be one of the best ways.

Emphasizing fish in your diet may also be a solution for people asking how to prevent cancer of the prostate from developing in the first place. Fish include omega-3 and other healthy fats which significantly reduce prostate cancer risk. The researchers found that men who highly consume omega-3 fatty acids from fish have a lower risk of having died from their prostate cancer.

We wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t remind you about the importance of vegetables and fruits. Study consists of 777 men diagnosed with prostate cancer showed that men who consumed more fruits and vegetables had higher survival rates at the 15-year basis. Fruits and veggies are rich in fiber, proanthocyanins, and flavanols which help to prevent prostate cancer.

More than that, some research suggests that popular spices such as oregano, ginger, green tea, rosemary, holy basil, and others may also be the part of the answer to how to prevent prostate cancer naturally.

Do Not Exaggerate with Vitamins

There are good vitamins for men; we can't deny it. However, are all doses of vitamins and minerals really helpful when it comes to prostate cancer prevention? Sadly, larger than the necessary intake of calcium and some vitamins may have contradictory results and make us ill. Another study showed that Calcium intakes >2000 mg/d were related to a greater risk of prostate cancer and lethal and high-grade cancers.

Stay in Shape to Lower Prostate Cancer Risk

In the question of how to avoid prostate cancer, one simply cannot ignore body weight and the role of a healthy, full-of-sports lifestyle in lowering prostate cancer risk. Overweight people are much more likely to develop prostate cancer. The number of cancer cases caused by being obese is estimated to be 20%. According to reports from the International Agency for Research into Cancer and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), there is the strongest evidence shows a connection of obesity with the following cancer types: prostate, postmenopausal breast, renal, endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma and colorectal.

Get on a bike, swim, run – all of those activities are answers to the question of how to avoid prostate cancer.

READ: Does Being Overweight Increase Cancer Risk?

Pay Attention to High PSA

Prostate cancer can be detected at an early stage by testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the blood of men.

Some scientists believe that in men under 60, results from over 2.6 ng/ml should be considered as high PSA instead of traditionally accepted 4 ng/ml. It is worth to mention here that, although PSA testing is a good way to catch prostate cancer, having a high PSA doesn't necessarily mean that you have cancer. Further tests and examinations can be followed by your doctor to diagnose prostate cancer.

Sex & Prostate Cancer

Active sexual life is one of the answers to the question of how to prevent prostate cancer naturally, according to researchers. Even masturbation significantly helps to reduce cancer risk. Having an active love life may be one of the most natural prostate cancer prevention methods. Research about this subject showed that men who ejaculate 21 times or more in a month were less likely to report prostate cancer than those who ejaculate 4 to 7 times a month. Although it is impressive, this result does not prove that more frequently ejaculating prevents prostate cancer totally, it is only associated with a reduction in the risk of developing cancer.

Although prostate cancer may be related to preventable risk factors listed in this article, we should know that there are other factors such as age and genetics that we cannot prevent. Nevertheless, it is definitely a good idea to learn the risks that can be avoided and try to follow the advice about them.

READ: Prostate Cancer Treatment Cost Around The World

This content is edited by Flymedi Medical Editors in 2023.