As you may know there are many fruits that are good for prostate cancer. Some fruits help prevent prostate cancer and some keep the cells healthy. We’re going to look at some of the best ones to prevent as well as treat any disease that lives in the prostate area. Prostate cancer as you know it is one of the leading causes of death in men. More than a thousand men die each day to it. Luckily, there are fruits that protect you from prostate cancer and can even reverse the effect.
What to Eat for a Healthy Prostate Cancer Diet
Are you cooking for yourself or for a friend or family member who has prostate cancer? Learn tips on how to choose the best foods and the best ways to cook them.
The best diet to follow for good health probably won’t surprise you: low in fat and calories; rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and focused on “real” foods rather than processed ones. While these same guidelines apply to men who have prostate cancer, your diet and how you prepare food may be even more important to your health after your diagnosis.
Here are some tips on how to plan prostate-healthy meals.
What’s a Prostate Cancer Diet?
The truth is, there’s no specific diet that will help you prevent or treat prostate cancer, but there are some general guidelines, according to sources like this PDF from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Good nutrition may be associated with a lower risk of developing cancer, along with reduced risk of the disease progressing after a diagnosis.
However, the research is still out on whether your diet can really impact prostate cancer risk and prognosis. Steven Canfield, MD, the chief of urology for McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), says that while there have been a lot of studies looking at specific diets for prostate cancer, they haven’t been very revealing. “Unfortunately,” he says, “none of them have really panned out to show any significant prevention.”
But he adds an exception: “It does seem to be that what’s good for your heart is good for your prostate.”
The UCSF cancer center developed diet guidelines for prostate cancer that recommend plentiful intake of a wide variety of vegetables and whole grains, healthy sources of protein (like beans, fish, and skinless poultry), and healthy fats (such as from olive oil, nuts, and avocado).
If these diet recommendations sound a lot like the Mediterranean diet, your instincts are right: There’s evidence that this food plan helps lower risk of death from prostate cancer.
Most of these guidelines, says June M. Chan, ScD, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the department of urology at UCSF, are for men starting out with a diagnosis of localized stage 1 or 2 prostate cancer.Top Storie
Eat fruits and greens. Get at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, including lots of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And add plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits, such as berries, cherries, plums, red grapes, and prunes.
Another healthy option for men with prostate cancer: cooked tomatoes. Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which is more readily available for the body to absorb when cooked.
UCSF recommends you eat at least 5 — better yet, 10 — servings of fruits and vegetables every day. What’s a serving? A half cup of fruit or vegetables, a cup of raw leafy greens, or a quarter cup of dried fruit or vegetables.
Substitute fish and plants for meat. All people with cancer, including those with prostate cancer, will benefit from a plant-based diet — getting your protein primarily from beans, nuts, flaxseed, and low-fat dairy products.
In particular, eat less beef, pork, and lamb. One report showed a link between death by any cause following a diagnosis of prostate cancer and consuming saturated fat from meat and dairy products, adding that it’s wise to reduce or completely cut out red meat, whole milk, and other dairy products, like butter, mayonnaise, and certain salad dressings. Instead, add flavor to salads and other dishes using lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and salsa. Also, hold back on cheese.
If fish isn’t already a staple in your diet, consider this: Men who eat a lot of cold-water fish have a lower risk of prostate cancer. One study found that men who ate a diet high in fish were 44 percent less likely to develop metastatic prostate cancer and 63 percent less likely to die from the disease. Fish with beneficial omega-3 fatty acid content include salmon, white canned tuna, sardines, farmed trout, and mackerel.
Use healthier oils and lighter cooking methods. Cook meals using canola oil or olive oil in place of saturated fats, such as butter or vegetable shortening. How you cook matters, too — use low-fat cooking methods such as broiling or baking rather than frying.
Skip grilling. Cooking meat at high temperatures like grilling produces a carcinogen called PhIP. If you do prepare meats on the grill, turn the meat often to minimize the char buildup (blackened areas).
How to Adjust to the Dietary Needs of the Person With Prostate Cancer
While these general recommendations ensure a healthy diet, you can play with which foods you choose and how you prepare them so that your meals are appealing and flavorful while also meeting your dietary needs.
Curb weight loss. If you’re losing your appetite and losing weight, think again about what you’re cooking and how you’re preparing food. Experiment with seasoning foods differently so they taste better, or adding sauces and herbs to mask certain flavors. Cook with higher-calorie ingredients that don’t require eating large portions to meet caloric needs.
Manage fiber intake for diarrhea relief. Loose stools, bleeding from the rectum, and loss of control over bowel movements happen to some men after getting external beam radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Several foods can help if this happens to you. Choose fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The Prostate Cancer Foundation says it’s a bit of a balancing act when it comes to fiber, but recommends avoiding foods that might irritate your stomach while trying to keep up your consumption of fiber-rich foods to avoid getting constipated.
Should You Take Dietary Supplements for Prostate Cancer? Maybe Not
“One of the other developments in the last 5 to 10 years,” says Dr. Chan, “has been broader recognition that single supplements seem unlikely to offer a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer development.”
She cites the large national Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) in 2008 and 2011, which “provided no evidence that selenium or vitamin E supplements offer protection against the development of prostate cancer.” And furthermore, a study of 4,459 men initially diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer concluded that those who started taking selenium dietary supplements after being diagnosed had a greater risk of death from prostate cancer.
What foods should I eat or avoid if I have prostate cancer?
You may have heard of certain foods or dietary supplements that might help slow the growth of prostate cancer or lower the risk of it coming back after treatment. Or that some foods could be harmful for men with prostate cancer.
This page has information on some of these foods. But there isn’t strong evidence for any of them, as different studies have had different results. This means we can’t say for sure whether any of these foods are likely to be helpful or harmful if you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Many men want to know if any foods, or a particular diet, can help or even cure prostate cancer. But until there’s more evidence that any individual food has an effect, it’s best to have a balanced diet, including lots of fruit and vegetables and a wide range of other healthy foods.
Diet and physical activity fact sheet
This fact sheet is for anyone with prostate cancer who wants to improve their general health.
Can any foods help with my prostate cancer?
You may have heard that certain foods might help slow down the growth of prostate cancer or lower the chance of it coming back after treatment, including:
- soya beans and other pulses
- green tea
- tomatoes and lycopene (a plant chemical found in tomatoes)
- cruciferous vegetables (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
- pomegranate.
With all of these foods, there is some evidence to suggest they might be helpful for men with prostate cancer, but other studies haven’t shown any effect. This means we can’t say for sure whether any of these foods can help. Until there’s more evidence that any individual food has an effect on prostate cancer, it’s best to have a balanced diet that contains all of the food groups.
Are there any foods I should eat less of?
You may have heard that eating a lot of certain foods may be harmful for men with prostate cancer, including:
- dairy foods and calcium
- red or processed meat
- fatty foods.
With all of these foods, some studies have suggested they might be harmful for men with prostate cancer, but other studies haven’t found a link. This means we can’t say for sure whether eating less of these foods can help.
There’s no need to cut these foods out of your diet completely. We need more research to fully understand their effect on prostate cancer, but you can still eat most of these foods in moderate amounts as part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends avoiding processed meat, as it can increase your risk of some other types of cancer.
Should I use supplements or herbal remedies?
Some people like to use dietary supplements or herbal remedies, but there’s little evidence they’re helpful for men with prostate cancer. Some may even be harmful.
Dietary supplements
There’s little evidence that supplements are helpful for men with prostate cancer. Some supplements may interfere with your treatment for prostate cancer, so let your doctor or nurse know if you’re taking any.
Most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need by eating a balanced diet, without taking supplements. If you do choose to take supplements, don’t take more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for each nutrient because large doses could be bad for your health.
Some men may need to take specific supplements. For example,
- Vitamin D. Between October and March, try to take 10 micrograms (μg) of vitamin D supplements every day. This is because during these months, there is not enough sunlight in the UK for your body to produce enough vitamin D.
- Calcium. If you’re on hormone therapy, your doctor might recommend calcium supplements.
Herbal remedies
Some men like to take herbal medicines to help manage their prostate cancer or the side effects of treatment. For example, some men drink sage tea to help with hot flushes. But there is very little evidence that herbal remedies can help to treat prostate cancer or reduce side effects.
Be very careful when buying herbal remedies over the internet. Many are made outside the UK and may not be high quality. Many companies make claims that are not based on proper research. There may be no real evidence that their products work and some may even be harmful. Remember that even if a product is ‘natural’, this doesn’t mean it is safe. For more information about using herbal remedies safely,
It’s important to tell your doctor about any complementary therapies you are using, including herbal remedies. Some herbal remedies may interfere with your cancer treatment and some may affect your prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, making the PSA test unreliable.
Herbal supplements being tested
Recently researchers have been looking at supplements containing a number of things such as pomegranate, green tea, broccoli, turmeric, soya and lycopene, to see whether they have an effect on prostate cancer.
There have been mixed results, with some studies suggesting they may be helpful and others suggesting they don’t help. These studies have all been small and run for a short time, so we need larger studies lasting for several years to find out whether any supplements actually help.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate gland. There is no particular food or recipe that can directly kill prostate cancer cells. Some foods that may be helpful in prostate cancer recovery and relapse prevention include foods containing lycopene, beans, green tea, cruciferous vegetables and fruit like cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and pomegranates.
Prostate cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is a part of the male reproductive system. It is a small (almost walnut-sized) gland located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum (the last part of the large bowel), surrounding the urethra (the tube carrying urine out of the bladder). The prostate has two main functions: producing and storing fluid that helps make semen and regulating bladder control.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in males in the US (the first being skin cancer). Certain conditions increase the risk for prostate cancer. These include
- Age: The chances of getting prostate cancer increase with age. Most experts recommend considering screening when a man is 50 years old.
- Race: African-American men are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Family history: There is a higher risk of prostate cancer in men who have a close family member (father, uncl, or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than 65 years old).
- Heredity: Certain genetic conditions may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
- Diet and lifestyle: Men who have a diet rich in animal fat and low in fruits and vegetables may have greater chances of getting prostate cancer. Being obese or having a sedentary lifestyle also raises prostate cancer risk.
- Smoking: It increases oxidative stress in the body, causing an increased risk of several cancers, including prostate cancer.
Can certain foods kill prostate cancer?
There is no particular food or recipe that can directly kill prostate cancer cells. Research is underway to discover the foods that may help prevent prostate cancer and aid the complete recovery of prostate cancer patients. It must be noted that the scientifically proven therapies for prostate cancer are crucial for treatment and should not be replaced by other means, including dietary supplements. Some of the foods that are suggested by studies to help in recovery or prevent prostate cancer relapse include
- Foods containing lycopene: Lycopene is a bright red compound found in tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables, including red carrots, papayas, watermelons, pink grapefruits and guavas. Although there is not sufficient evidence, some studies suggest that the antioxidant and immune-boosting properties of lycopene may help fight cancer cells. Grapefruit should be avoided by people consuming certain medicines, such as blood thinners, blood pressure medicines, medications to treat high blood cholesterol and medications to treat erection problems. Consult the doctor for more clarity.
- Plant-origin protein sources: These include soybeans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils and other pulses. These foods are rich in protein and low in fat and cholesterol. They help promote overall health and may hasten recovery from prostate cancer.
- Green tea: This tea is rich in antioxidants that boost immunity and well-being. A decaffeinated green tea provides the same cancer-protection benefits without the urinary side effects.
- Cruciferous vegetables: These include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and mustard greens. They help provide the essential vitamins and minerals that aid in recovery from prostate cancer.
- Fruits: Various fruits, especially cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and pomegranates are popular for their potential cancer-killing properties.
A balanced diet that includes these foods may promote an overall sense of well-being and help limit prostate cancer. Drinking plenty of water helps to flush out the wastes and toxins from the body and keep the metabolism at optimum levels. Avoid sugary drinks and foods, red meat, barbecued or deep-fried foods and processed foods (such as chips and cookies), get ample rest and perform regular physical activities as per the doctor’s advice.