Causes of Prostate Cancer through diet

The causes of prostate cancer remain a mystery however it has been established that five main factors influence the probability of a man developing the disease. Simply put these factors are:

• Age
• Hormones
• Race
• Diet
• Genetics

This page concentrates on diet and how it is related to the development of prostate cancer.

Diet as a cause of prostate cancer

Unfortunately the average human diet is so varied that it is incredibly difficult to make an association between a single type of food or food group and an illness. Scientists however have a good picture of prostate cancer and the risk factors involved in its initial development and so have managed to put a broad hypothesis together.

Apparently, as with many other forms of cancer, a diet high in saturated animal fat including dairy products may increase the risk of men developing prostate cancer. In addition large quantities of calcium, which are commonly found in dairy products, have also been associated with an increased incidence of the disease. As both saturated fat and excess dairy products regularly cause obesity, this condition has, rightly so, also found itself related to prostate cancer.

Obesity increases the level of IGF-1 (Insulin-Growth Factor-1) in the blood. This is a chemical that we all naturally make and which is involved in the regulation of normal cell growth, life cycle and cell death. Scientists now believe that high levels of IGF-1, which are produced indirectly by high fat diets, have a derogatory effect on the normal life cycle of a prostate gland cell so causing it to become cancerous. This theory as yet is just a theory and more in depth research is needed to either prove or disprove it.

From this however it would seem that saturated fat is the main dietary problem. Westernised countries, which enjoy diets high in saturated and other types of fat, have a much higher prevalence of prostate problems related to cancer than non-westernised countries. For example, in the UK and the USA alone we eat millions of tonnes of beef, pork and lamb each year and when cooked these red meats have around 30-40% saturated fat in them. In fact the large increase in the number of prostate cancer cases seen over the last few decades could well have something to do with the amount of fatty fast foods we now unashamedly consume.

Similar research that is currently being conducted in Italy is looking at the affects of cholesterol on the incidence of prostate cancer. A preliminary study has found that there is a positive relationship between cholesterol levels and the probability of developing prostate cancer. The thought behind the research is that hormones which are capable of stimulating the growth of cancerous prostate cells are somehow synthesised from cholesterol. Thus, high cholesterol levels which are also associated with diets high in saturated fats have also become associated with the many so-called causes of prostate cancer.

In all, the belief so far is that eating a low fat, high fibre diet can help to prevent prostate cancer. Recent studies have shown that men who eat large amounts of green leafy vegetables and tomato-based foods for an average of twice a week are at less risk from developing prostate cancer than those that don’t eat these foods. This is because lycopene, an antioxidant found in a number of fruit and vegetables, is thought to protect vulnerable proteins within the cell that become damaged in prostate cancer cells.

In addition Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium and resveratrol are all being researched because of their antioxidant properties. Resveratrol is found in red wine and has apparently been shown to significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer if four or more glasses of red wine are drank each week. Its antioxidant properties mean that it may travel around the body ‘mopping up’ free radicals which are produced during normal chemical reactions. Free radicals are thought to damage cells and possibly cause the mutations that account for many forms of cancer, thus research into antioxidants has become a global industry of late.

The research that has so far been carried out regarding diet and how it might effect mans chances of developing prostate cancer has provided some very promising results however until further research has been performed the scientists are refusing to say that diet is in fact a cause of prostate cancer. Luckily, numerous large companies are looking into different aspects of diet and so the scope of research is really quite varied. This means that there is a much better chance of finding a positive relationship between diet and prostate cancer that hopefully will be proven quite soon.

Until then men are advised to eat a healthy balanced diet that is low in saturated fat and high in fruit, vegetables and fibre. It may be that diet isn’t one of the causes of prostate cancer but by regulating the diet and staying fit and healthy, men will be taking away the possibility once and for all.