Gain Control Over Your
Prostate Cancer Risk
A man’s lifestyle choices and diet can
affect his prostate cancer risk. To lower
your odds, research suggests these actions
may help:
- Go lean. Choose lean meats or vegetable dishes instead of meals high in animal fat.
- Choose high-nutrient foods. Selenium, lycopene and vitamin E all have been found to reduce a man’s prostate cancer risk. Selenium is found in rice, wheat and seafood. For lycopene, load up on tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon. And get your vitamin E from vegetables, nuts and egg yolks.
- Lose those extra pounds. In a recent study, men who had lost at least 11 pounds in the past 10 years enjoyed a lower risk for prostate cancer. Overweight, older men are more likely to develop a more serious form of the disease.
- Exercise regularly. A recent study found that, compared to couch potatoes, men age 65 and older who exercised vigorously at least three hours a week had about a 70 percent lower chance of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
- Ask your doctor about aspirin. Older men who regularly used aspirin had fewer cases of prostate cancer, researchers found. However, aspirin also can increase your risk for internal bleeding, so be sure to ask your doctor first.
