Prostate Cancer

A dear friend was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is one of our organic food growers in the region; it came as a shock to us all. Now he is on the road to recovery and I on the road to discovery. I share with you what I gleaned from my search. Read on dear reader….for prevention and recovery.

First off I was surprised to find most of the information was regarding symptoms, testing, medical procedures and treatment. Not much is mentioned about cause and prevention. In the light that the statistics show prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men, seems there should be some information concerning WHY and HOW NOT TO.

Researchers noted that there are already plenty of health reasons to consume more vegetables such as broccoli, and their findings add another potential benefit when it comes to preventing prostate cancer.

A plant-derived chemical produced when your body digests green vegetables such as broccoli and kale can inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer cells, according to research.

Vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower are rich sources of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which the body converts into 3,3'-diindolylmethane DIM during digestion.

DIM acts as a powerful anti-androgen inhibiting the spread of human prostate cancer cells in culture tests. Androgen is a necessary hormone for the normal function of the prostate; however it also plays a role in the early stages of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer in the early stages is typically treated with anti-androgen drugs.

In later stages of the disease, cancer cells typically develop resistance to androgen.
In the study, the researchers compared the effects of DIM on androgen-dependent human prostate cancer cells as well as on cancer cells that were independent of androgen.

It was found that androgen-dependent cancer cells treated with a solution of DIM grew 70 percent less than untreated cells. However, androgen-independent cells were not affected by the DIM solution.

Further tests showed that DIM inhibits the actions of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the primary androgen involved in prostate cancer. DHT works by stimulating the expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA). PSA acts as a growth factor for prostate cancer, however when androgen-dependent cells were treated with DIM, the level of PSA decreased, which suggests that DIM functions at a gene expression level, according to researchers.

The findings support previous research that has shown this class of chemicals to be a potential therapeutic agent for breast and endometrial cancer.
Well, there is a bit of food for thought. So again I say increasing your vegetables is one of the preventative measures recommended against prostate cancer as it helps with many other cancers too.

Studies have shown that boosting your intake of vegetables can cut your risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent.

Below is the most current list of tools to avoid and treat prostate cancer (nutrients useful to treat prostate cancer are also likely to benefit breast cancer as well):

Increase your vegetable intake, especially the raw greens.

Take Omega 3 oils--this is probably the most important

Exposure to adequate sunlight

Eliminating sugar, and sugar substitutes

Get a handle on emotional and physical stress

Avoid processed foods.

Cut down on wheat products that means bread, pasta, cookies..etc.

Eat virgin natural oils, olive, coconut oil or grape seed

Exercise 3 times a week.

Don’t do drugs including pot…

Following these simple methods along with getting your PSA screening when you turn 40, will provide you with some excellent natural preventative and treatment tools against this relatively slow-growing cancer that can be easily controlled if caught early.