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Summary: Lowering Prostate Cancer Risk
While prevention isn’t guaranteed, risk can be reduced with lifestyle changes. Regular screenings, a diet low in red meat and dairy, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and limiting smoking and alcohol may all help. Early detection and proactive measures are key to better outcomes.
Key Points:
- Screening: Begin regular tests by age 45.
- Diet: Limit red meat, dairy, and processed foods.
- Exercise: Stay active and manage weight.
- Lifestyle: Avoid smoking; minimize alcohol use.
As men age, it becomes more common to wonder how to prevent prostate cancer. Before we explore this vital topic in more detail, there are a few important facts to keep in mind.
The first is that there is no practical way to guarantee someone won’t develop prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is increasingly common with age. As Harvard Health Publishing points out, roughly 80% of men over the age of 80 have some form of prostate cancer.
The second is that not all forms of prostate cancer are equal. Many are slow to develop and spread beyond the prostate. With regular screening, men increase their chances of identifying this cancer and choosing a treatment option before it spreads.
The third is that while there is no simple “how to prevent prostate cancer” guide that eliminates the risk of this disease, it is possible to reduce prostate cancer risk. Certain lifestyle changes and modifications can lower the risk of prostate cancer. These changes are entirely possible for many men with some planning and dedication.
Let’s briefly review what prostate cancer is, as well as its risk factors. Then, we will focus on lifestyle changes that can help with prostate cancer prevention.
Understanding Prostate Cancer
What is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate itself is a gland located in the pelvis, below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It partially surrounds the urethra. When the prostate is healthy, it is roughly the size of a walnut.
The prostate’s two main functions are:
- Producing a slightly alkaline fluid that helps to carry sperm and keep them alive and healthy. This fluid forms part of the seminal fluid.
- Helping to propel semen and seminal fluid out of the body during ejaculation.
Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate grow uncontrollably, as the National Library of Medicine explains.
Despite the cell growth being unchecked, many prostate cancers grow slowly and are slow to spread, limiting the serious health issues cancer can cause. However, some instances of prostate cancer can grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body, causing major health problems.
Warning signs of prostate cancer do not generally appear in the disease’s early stages, whether the cancer grows quickly or slowly. That makes screening an especially important part of prostate cancer prevention.
Prostate Cancer: Known Risk Factors vs Direct Causes
Despite prostate cancer being so common among men, the exact causes of prostate cancer are unclear. There are risk factors inherited by men, as well as modifiable risk factors — increased risk caused by lifestyle and other modifiable behaviors. Practical guidance on how to “prevent” prostate cancer or reduce the risk of it focuses on those modifiable factors.
Key Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer
Understanding both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer helps individuals better understand their personal level of prostate cancer risk and the potential changes they can make to reduce that risk.
Key factors that can increase the risk of prostate cancer include:
Age
In general, the risk of prostate cancer increases as men age. Roughly 60% of all prostate cancer diagnoses occur in men over age 65, as the Prostate Cancer Foundation explains.
Family History and Genetics
A history of prostate cancer in close family members (i.e. fathers, brothers, and sons) is a sign of increased risk for this disease, as the National Cancer Institute highlights.
Ethnicity and Race
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) explains that African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and develop it at a younger age as compared to men of other ethnicities.
Lifestyle Factors
High consumption of processed foods, other dietary factors, lack of physical activity, smoking, and other modifiable risk factors can contribute to the development of prostate cancer. The next section of this article focuses on how to address these modifiable risk factors.
Healthy Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Prostate Cancer
The following guidance on how to “prevent” prostate cancer — more accurately, reducing the risk of developing it — may read like standard men’s health tips. That’s because these changes can lead to general health benefits as well as potentially reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Adopt a Healthy Diet
As is the case with all of these recommendations for reducing the risk of cancer of the prostate, prevention is key. Making positive lifestyle changes in the short term can lead to a reduced risk of cancer in the long term.
While the exact relationship between specific foods and prostate cancer risk is not entirely clear, there are signs that certain foods have a negative connection to prostate health. Others may have a positive effect or have a neutral relationship with developing prostate cancer.
We offer an in-depth review of the worst foods for prostate health — foods that should be avoided when trying to reduce prostate cancer risk. These foods include:
- Beef
- Pork
- Other red meat (meat that comes from mammals, as opposed to birds or fish)
- Dairy
- Saturated fats
- Processed meats
- Alcohol
Although there are no definitive studies proving this, some people have postulated that it is the added hormones that contribute to prostate cancer growth. So if you want a steak, go for the grass-fed option.
Looking for more specific information about why these foods may lead to poor outcomes in terms of developing prostate cancer?
Research published in the peer-reviewed journal Biomolecules found a strong connection between alcohol consumption and developing prostate cancer. A systematic research review published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Nutrition identified connections between increased red meat consumption and processed meat consumption and prostate cancer risk.
What can you eat to replace these foods, if they’re a significant part of your diet, and reduce prostate cancer risk? The University of California San Francisco makes the following recommendations for a diet that can support prostate health:
- Make plant-based foods the majority of the diet, with many fruits and vegetables included.
- Increase fiber intake, for example by eating more grains, vegetables, and legumes.
- Limit fat intake, especially saturated fats, omega-6 fatty acids, and trans fats.
- Moderate the consumption of simple sugars and refined flour.
Maintain a Healthy Weight and Exercise Regularly
Obesity, specifically a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, may have a relationship with increased prostate cancer risk, as the Mayo Clinic points out. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that regular exercise may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer and of dying from it.
While a healthy weight depends on many individual factors, reaching a BMI below the obesity range (less than 30) is a simple guideline that anyone can follow. The two main actions to take to reduce weight are monitoring and limiting caloric intake and engaging in regular exercise.
Exercise plans and strategies should be discussed beforehand with a healthcare provider to take current health and any medical issues or complications into account. Beyond that need, the keys are to:
- Find an aerobic activity, like walking, running, swimming, or biking, that is enjoyable. Finding an activity that can be fun, or at least feels productive, is easier to stick with than something that feels like a chore or burden.
- Build good habits: Consistency is key to benefitting from exercise. Set realistic goals for activity and time spent exercising, meet them, and then set new ones.
- Aim for roughly 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. The Prostate Cancer Foundation reports that exercise equivalent to 30 minutes of brisk walking each day, or 3.5 hours total each week, can help to reduce prostate cancer risk.
Avoid Smoking and Limit Alcohol
Smoking is not clearly linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, as the American Cancer Society explains. However, smoking does increase the risk of many other types of cancer, and quitting smoking can make it easier to regularly engage in aerobic exercise.
The previously cited research published in Biomolecules found that “…The overall conclusion is that high alcohol intake, especially binge drinking, is associated with increased risk for PCa, and this effect is not limited to any type of beverage.” Limiting or ceasing alcohol consumption overall, along with the other recommendations offered here, may help to reduce prostate cancer risk.
Consider Supplements Carefully
The Prostate Cancer Foundation explains that dietary supplements as a general category do not appear to help prevent prostate cancer or slow its growth. A lot more research needs to be done. In the meantime, it is important not to use supplements as a primary treatment option for clinically significant prostate cancer.
Prioritize Regular Prostate Cancer Screening
Because the signs of prostate cancer do not normally appear until the disease has progressed, screening for prostate cancer is crucial for early identification of this disease. Early identification can mean patients qualify for more treatment options, including minimally invasive treatments, as well as potentially identify prostate cancer before it develops and spreads in the body.
Our recommendation is that otherwise healthy men should consider starting regular prostate cancer screening at age 45.
Understanding Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Prostate Laser Center offers minimally invasive, MRI-guided treatment options for prostate cancer that can help decrease the risk of side effects that impact quality of life. Learn more about these treatment options by requesting a consultation today.
NOTE: The information provided on this website is general medical information and does not establish a physician-patient relationship. Please discuss your particular situation with a qualified medical professional.
