How to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer, which occurs when a cancerous tumor attacks the healthy cells of the prostate gland, is rather common in elderly men: 1 out of 10 men over 65 will be diagnosed with this condition. Despite the advances made in prostate cancer treatment over the past decades, prevention remains the best way to fight it. A number of approaches to dietary and lifestyle choices are available to help prevent the onset of prostate and other forms of cancer.

Things You'll Need

• Physician
• Computer with Internet access

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Instructions

Use Medications to Prevent Prostate Cancer

• 1

  Know if you're at risk. Prostate cancer affects exclusively men, and men who smoke, drink alcohol and men over the age of 60 are all at increased risk.

• 2

  Learn about finasteride. It's a drug that stops the body from making a male hormone thought to be a prostate cancer trigger. Recent studies suggest that finasteride can significantly lower a man's risk of developing prostate cancer.

• 3

  Be aware that sources of estrogen can help prevent prostate cancer. Phytoestrogens from plant products (such as soybeans) as well as synthetic estrogen have been tested for prostate cancer prevention with promising results.

Implement Lifestyle Changes to Lower Your Risk

• 4

  Eat a healthy diet. Cancer experts suggest a diet high in whole grains, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables with sparing consumption of red meat, fat and processed foods is useful in preventing prostate and other forms of cancer from developing.

• 5

  Quit smoking, if you haven't already. Cigarette smokers are at an elevated risk of developing all forms of cancer.

• 6

  Take vitamin E and selenium supplements on a daily basis. Studies have shown that both are strongly associated with reduced prostate cancer risk.

• 7

  Get lots of lycopenes in your diet. Lycopenes are vitamin-like antioxidants that can both fight and prevent prostate cancer. Watermelons, grapefruits and tomatoes are all significant sources of lycopenes.

• 8

  Limit your alcohol consumption to 1 to 2 drinks per day, if you choose to drink at all. A balanced, healthy lifestyle, including moderate alcohol consumption, is considered important to prostate cancer prevention.

• 9

  Stay active. Overall health is important to the prevention of all disease. Prostate cancer is no different.

• 10

  Get a physical exam performed annually. Include a digital-rectal examination (DRE) as part of a prostate cancer screening process. Immediately report any symptoms of prostate cancer to your physician.