Prostate Cancer: Men Beware!

If the cancer is caught at its earliest stages, experts said that most men will not experience any symptoms.  Some men, however, will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer, including:
*A need to urinate frequently, especially at night;
*Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine;
*Weak or interrupted flow of urine;
*Painful or burning urination;
*Difficulty in having an erection;
*Painful ejaculation;
*Blood in urine or semen; or
*Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
Because these symptoms can also indicate the presence of other diseases or disorders, such as BPH or prostatitis, men who experience any of these symptoms are advised to undergo a thorough work-up to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms.
When looking at why some people develop cancer and others don't, Dr. Morin Oyero said there are three factors that play a meaningful role and that are unchangeable: age, family history, and race. Medical experts said that depending on the type of cancer, one or more of these can play a pivotal role in increasing or decreasing your risk of developing the disease.
According to Dr. David Jonathan of Divine Medical Centre, the older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 39 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 7 for ages 60 to 79. But these statistics tell only part of the story. There are countless other factors that can influence your riskfactors over which we do have control; namely, diet and lifestyle.
There is no question that our environment and particularly our diet influences the way our body functions. Because for every extra bite of something not so smart, we also take in a host of nutrients that help our bodies continue running smoothly, and, in the short term, the effects are not usually noticeably harmful.
'It's not much different when it comes to cancer: the body has natural defenses agaianst allowing normal cells to become cancerous and allowing cancer cells to grow. But it is a very delicate balance, and it is easily upset by changes in our diet and our environment. For some cancers, the balance is easy to see. Nearly 90% of people who develop lung cancer are smokers. The longer you smoke, the more damage you cause to your lungs, and the greater your likelihood of developing lung cancer. Take away the cigarettes, and the risk starts to inch its way down.
With prostate cancer, there is not yet evidence of a single causative factor that is likely to dramatically alter your risk. However, research has been showing in the past few years that ingesting certain nutrients might decrease your chances of developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of having a prostate cancer recurrence, or help slow down progression of the disease. Although it will likely take some time before results of these studies conclusively demonstrate the benefits of nutrition in prostate cancer, there is already good evidence that some of these dietary changes are beneficial in other chronic diseases, particularly heart disease. Adoption of these dietary changes can therefore be seen as an important step in a path toward a more healthy lifestyle overall.
The ultimate goal of prostate cancer prevention strategies is to prevent men from developing the disease. Unfortunately, despite significant progress in research over the past 15 years, this goal has not yet been achieved. Both genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer have been identified, but the evidence is not yet strong enough to be helpful to men currently at risk for developing prostate cancer.
In the meantime, diet and lifestyle modifications have been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer development and progression, and can help men with prostate cancer live longer and better lives.
To understand how to prevent prostate cancer, one must first understand what causes it.  There are four major factors that influence one's risk for developing prostate cancer, factors which unfortunately cannot be changed.  Age: The average age of diagnosing prostate cancer is around 60 years and after that age the chance of developing prostate cancer becomes more common than any other cancer in men or women.  
According to a book written by Dr. Patrick Walsh, titled; Guide To Surviving Prostate Cancer, top 10 considerations for preventing Prostate Cancer include;
Race: African Americans have a 40% greater chance of developing prostate cancer and twice the risk of dying from it.  Conversely, Asian men who live in Asia have the lowest risk; however when they migrate to the west, their risk increases.
Family history: A man with a father or brother who developed prostate cancer has a twofold increased risk for developing it.  This risk is further increased if the cancer was diagnosed at a younger age (less than 55 years of age) or affected three or more family members.  
Where you live: The risk of developing prostate cancer for men who live in rural China is 2% and for men in the United States 17%.  When Chinese men move to the western culture, their risk increases substantially; men who live north of 40 degrees latitude (north of Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and Provo, Utah) have the highest risk for dying from prostate cancer of any men in the United States  this effect appears to be mediated by inadequate sunlight during three months of the year which reduces vitamin D levels.
Given the facts above, which are difficult to change, there are many things that men can do, however, to reduce or delay their risk of developing prostate cancer.  Why is prostate cancer so common in the Western culture and much less so in Asia, and why when Asian men migrate to western countries the risk of prostate cancer increases over time?  We believe the major risk factor is diet  foods that produce oxidative damage to DNA.  What can you do about it to prevent or delay the onset of the disease?
*Eat fewer calories or exercise more so that you maintain a healthy weight.
*Try to keep the amount of fat you get from red meat and dairy products to a minimum.
*Watch your calcium intake.  Do not take supplemental doses far above the recommended daily allowance.  Some calcium is OK, but avoid taking more than 1,500 mg of calcium a day.
*Eat more fish  evidence from two large studies suggest that fish can help protect against prostate cancer because they have "good fat" particularly omega-3 fatty acids.
*Try to incorporate cooked tomatoes that are cooked with olive oil which has also been shown to be beneficial, and cruciferous vegetables into many of your weekly meals.
*Eat more soya.
*Top off your meal with green or black tea.
Eat an apple a day, or better yet, an apple, an orange, a bowl of vegetable soup, tomatoes, broccoli, and maybe some corn on the cob.  Studies have shown that simply eating an apple a day gives your body far more antioxidant and cancer fighting help than taking mega-doses of vitamins.  
Finally, eating all the broccoli in the world, though it may make a difference in the long run, does not take away your risk of having prostate cancer right now.  If you are age 40 or over, if you have a family history of prostate cancer, you need more than a good diet can guarantee. Doctors advised that you need a yearly rectal examination and PSA test.