Healthy Nuts: Stay Prostate Cancer-Free

I know mostly women read this blog, but, then many of you will still have a man in your life you care about such as a father, brother and/or husband.  So I thought I'd do a post about prostate cancer.

Often people get confused about the headlines and research findings, partially because there are two types of prostate cancer: the indolent kind that doesn't usually require treatment, and the lethal kind.

Harvard Professor, Meir Stampfer, has attempted to address this issue by focusing on prostate cancers that lead to death.  He and other researchers have found that the following factors increase the risk of fatal prostate cancers:

• Obesity
• Smoking
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Calcium supplementation
• High fat dairy intake
• High intake of eggs (6 or more/week)
• Low/no coffee intake
• Low intake of cruciferous vegetables
• Low intake of fatty fish & fish oil (but decreases risk of indolent prostate cancers)

 For men who are diagnosed with a prostate cancer, the type you have can help determine the best course of action.  Studies are showing that for low-risk prostate cancers (PSA less than 10, Gleason score of 6 or less, and tumour stage T1c or T2a), active surveillance may be more appropriate than surgery.

Ultimately, like most other diseases, your best bet to lower your risk is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  So skip the bacon and egg brunches this weekend, eat a salad, grab the men in your life and go get active!