Family Doctor 2008

PROSTATE HEALTH men Protecting your prostate Cancer of the prostate gland is one of the most common types of cancer among men in the United States. Here’s how you may help prevent it through diet, exercise and supplements. By Susanna E. Guzman Regular exercise can help you manage your weight and your stress. It hasn’t been shown that stress causes cancer, but it is known that people who take an active role in their health are generally more likely to feel hopeful and optimistic. What’s in that supplement? Doctors agree that it’s best to get your vitamins, minerals and other nutrients by eating a healthy diet. But dietary supplements are everywhere, and their labels often claim a number of health beneﬁts. Here’s some information about a couple of supplements that you may have heard: ● Vitamin E may cut the risk of prostate T he prostate is a gland that lies just below a man’s urinary bladder. It surrounds the urethra like a donut Eat your vegetables Some vegetables, such as cauliﬂower and broccoli, contain a compound known as sulforaphane. This compound may help special proteins in the body get rid of carcinogens. A carcinogen is a substance that’s known to cause cancer. Although the jury’s still out on the beneﬁts of sulforaphane, one study showed that men who ate 5 or more servings of broccoli or cauliﬂower per week, up to 8 years before the study, had a 10% to 20% lower risk of prostate cancer. Lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes (and watermelon, grapefruit, guava and papaya), may also help by cleaning up extra oxygen atoms in the body known as “free radicals.” Normally, the body uses free radicals to ﬁght bacteria and other trouble-makers that can invade the body. But free radicals can also damage cells. And a damaged cell is more likely to become cancerous. Eating at least 2 servings of tomato sauce a week has been shown to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Lycopene from cooked tomatoes seems to be better than lycopene from raw tomatoes or other fruits when it comes to keeping a lid on cancer cell growth. and is in front of the rectum. The urethra is the tube that carries urine out of the bladder, through the penis and out of the body. The prostate gland makes a ﬂuid that provides nutrients for sperm. This ﬂuid makes up most of the ejaculate ﬂuid. cancer. But if you take medicine for high cholesterol, taking vitamin E may mean the cholesterol medicine does not work as well. ● Selenium is a mineral that seems to limit cell damage. It may also help prevent cancer. In one study, men who took 200 micrograms of selenium per day were about 60% less likely to get cancer of any kind, especially lung, colorectal and prostate cancers. Keeping your prostate gland healthy If your prostate gland is healthy, you may only think about it when you see your family doctor for a checkup. During an exam, the doctor can check the prostate by putting a gloved ﬁnger into the rectum to feel the back of the gland. A normal gland is ﬁrm but not hard or swollen and doesn’t have any bumps on it. Researchers still aren’t 100% sure what men can do to keep their prostate glands healthy. But studies that have been done so far do point to a few things that may help. So what to do? It seems that a healthy diet and lifestyle may do more than help you feel better. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly is very likely to improve your health. As for keeping your prostate gland healthy, talk with your family doctor about what else you can do. He or she can help you understand the research and what it means for you. Susanna E. Guzman is an editor with the American Academy of Family Physicians, headquartered in Leawood, Kan. Move more, stress less We don’t yet know whether exercise lowers the risk of prostate cancer, but we do know that obesity and prostate cancer are related. The more a man weighs, the higher his risk for prostate cancer. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION American Academy of Family Physicians http://familydoctor.org/361.xml Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostatecancer-prevention/MC00027 familydoctor 2008 87 http://familydoctor.org/361.xml http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostate-cancer-prevention/MC00027

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Family Doctor 2008

Family Doctor 2008 Foreward Introduction Contents What Do You Want From Health Care? Confident Communication Need a New Doctor? Understanding Your Health Insurance OTC Safety as Simple as 1-2-3 The Fight Against Resistance Drug Interactions Prevention is Better than Cure Hitting a Home Run 'The Herbalist Will See You Now' Healthy Eating to Boost Your Heart and Health Exercise: The Elixir of Life Back from the Brink Taking Control Up All Night Vitamins and Minerals 101 Allergies: Combating the Causes Protect Yourself From Colds and the Flu Diabetes: Assessing Your Risk Dealing with Diabetes The Cholesterol Count Getting a Grip on Hypertension Facts About CKD Banish the Burn Easing the Pain Stop the Pounding Urinary Tract Infections: Common and Preventable Skin Essentials The ABCs of COPD Impotence: Tackling the Old Taboo Taking Responsibility for Your Health Prostate Cancer Screening: Is it For You? Protecting Your Prostate Heart Disease and Women: Know the Risks Birth Control to Suit You Maneuvering Through Menopause Help for PMS Infertility: Problems Having a Baby Preventive Health: What Women Need to Know Pregnancy: Taking Care of You and Your Baby Eating for Two Postpartum Mood Disorders The Basics of Breast Milk Newborn Screening Tests: Possible Lifesavers Common Newborn Conditions Childhood Vaccines: Why They're Necessary Food Allergies: The Facts Facing Your Acne Raising Grades Staying On Your Feet Age Gracefully: Take Care of Your Bones Battling Osteoarthritis Tackling Anxiety Beating the Blues

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