Diet Prevents Prostate Cancer?

There is not enough information yet to make clear recommendations about the role diet plays in prostate cancer. Dietary changes may need to be made many years earlier in a man’s life to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The following briefly summarizes the current research:

A diet high in fat, especially animal fat, may increase prostate cancer risk. However, no prospective studies, meaning studies that follow men with either high-fat or low-fat diets and then measure the total in each group diagnosed with prostate cancer, have yet shown that diets high in animal fat raise the risk of prostate cancer.

A diet high in vegetables, fruits, and legumes, such as beans and peas, may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. It is unclear which nutrients are directly responsible. Although lycopene, the nutrient found in tomatoes and other vegetables, has been linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer, the data so far have not demonstrated a relationship.

Currently no specific vitamins, minerals, or other supplements have been conclusively shown in clinical trials to prevent prostate cancer. Some, including vitamin D, vitamin E, and selenium may even be harmful for some men. Men should speak up and talk with their doctors before taking any supplements to prevent prostate cancer.

Specific changes to diet may not stop or slow the development of prostate cancer, and it is possible such changes would need to begin early in life to have an effect.

Taking over the counter supplements may produce some short term benefits and at the same time they could also mask early warning signs  of prostate cancer such as getting up several times a night to urinate  or having performance issues in the bedroom.