Food and nutrient Supplements:
Prostate dysfunction has been called a nutritional disease. It is much more common in developed Western countries that emphasize animal-derived foods, such as red meat, dairy products, and eggs, all foods that tend to accumulate environmental toxins. In contrast, fruit- and vegetable-rich diets exert a protective effect.
Scientific studies are challenging some entrenched views on what we have traditionally considered nutritionally wholesome foods. For example, growing evidence suggests that milk may be bad for the prostate. Overall, countries that consume the most milk have the highest incidence of prostate cancer. The culprit appears to be milk’s calcium. Excessive calcium intake, regardless of source, apparently suppresses the synthesis of a form of vitamin D that inhibits prostate cancer.
In contrast,
men who consume tomatoes, tomato-based foods (e.g., ketchup, pasta, etc.), guavas, watermelon, and pink grapefruit are reportedly less likely to get prostate cancer. These foods contain a powerful antioxidant agent called lycopene (see
http://www.lycopene.org/) that gives them their characteristic red color. Available as a nutritional supplement, lycopene not only prevents prostate cancer but also may reduce existing tumor size.
Another prostate-protecting food is fructose, the sugar in fruit that is used to sweeten many foods. Overall, its consumption is associated with a reduced prostate-cancer risk. Unlike calcium, fructose stimulates the production of a vitamin D form that inhibits tumors.
Several trace nutrients that are often deficient in our diet also enhance prostate health. For example, a lack of zinc especially affects the prostate because this gland uses it much more than any other body part. By altering steroid hormone metabolism, zinc supplementation can reduce prostate enlargement. Interestingly, pumpkin seeds, a traditional folk remedy promoting male reproductive and prostate health, are rich in zinc.
Selenium is another often-deficient trace nutrient that is essential for prostate health. Increasing selenium intake, whether through supplements or selenium-rich foods (e.g., Brazil nuts), has been shown to reduce prostate-cancer risk.
Other nutritional factors that may inhibit prostate cancer include vitamin D; vitamin E, an antioxidant that inhibits cancer growth; soy-based foods, which contain the cancer-inhibiting agent genistein; and garlic, which possess cancer-fighting, sulfur-containing compounds.
...from Natural Prostate Health website.
