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Diet to Lower PSA

You may be able to lower your risk of prostate cancer by changing the way you eat. Countries with lower prostate cancer rates share common traits in their diet. The reason is the PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by the prostate gland. If you can lower your PSA level, you may reduce your prostate cancer risk.

  1. Causes of Elevated PSA's

    • According to the National Cancer Institute, men can show elevated PSA levels for many reasons: benign prostate enlargement, infection, inflammation, age and race. However, an elevated PSA level may also be an indicator of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is most common in black men, older men and men with a family history of developing it. While you can't affect your age, race or genetics, the Mayo Clinic points out that you can make some common sense nutritional changes that have been linked with lower prostate cancer rates.

    Prostate Cancer Prevention Diet

    • In a nutshell, a diet low in red meat and fat, and high in fruits and veggies is beneficial in prostate cancer prevention. In other words, a vegetarian diet is a cancer-prevention diet. However, if you are unwilling to make this leap, you can make changes in that direction which will help.

    Fruits and Veggies

    • Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Choose foods high in folate, like asparagus, beans and spinach. Also, the nutrient diindolylmethane has specifically been linked to prostate cancer prevention. It is found in broccoli, kale, and cabbage. According to the Mayo Clinic, lycopene, found in tomatoes, may also be helpful, though results aren't definitive. A study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, by Robert Ma and K. Chapman, found consuming cauliflower, tomatoes and broccoli was associated with a lower prostate cancer risk.

    Soy and Legumes

    • Substitute soy and legumes for meat protein. In addition to protein, soy has phytoestrogens, which might prevent prostate cancer. Asian men, whose diet more heavily relies on soy, have a lower rate of prostate cancer.

    New Thoughts on Selenium and Vitamin E

    • Be wary of claims for selenium and vitamin E supplements as prostate cancer preventatives. The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) exploded the previous wisdom that supplementing one's diet with Vitamin E and selenium prevent prostate cancer. In 2008, the National Cancer Institute had to inform 35,000 men participating in the trial that the two supplements had no positive preventative effect on prostate cancer development. However, if you are inclined to believe earlier results, adding the two to your diet via foods sources is a safe possibility. Brazil nuts and mushrooms are two foods rich in selenium. Almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, olive oil and canola oil are healthy vitamin E food sources.

    Foods to Avoid

    • Avoid some foods. Ma and Chapman also found diets that included eating highly processed meats, charcoaled meats, fats, and dairy products, and high levels of calcium were associated with prostate cancer.

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