date: 9/12/2005
Selenium, fish may protect against prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is very common. In fact, it is the most common cancer (after skin cancer) among men in the United States. Understanding your options can help you select the most effective treatment.
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Recently, we reported that several foods, mainly certain fruits and vegetables, may help ward off prostate cancer. Now two studies suggest that this dietary arsenal may be broadened to include fish and foods rich in the mineral selenium.
Following up on earlier studies linking selenium with reduced prostate-cancer risk, researchers from Stanford University, the National Institute on Aging, and Johns Hopkins medical school
looked back at the blood levels of selenium that 52 prostate-cancer patients and 96 healthy men had before any of the cancers appeared. Those with the lowest selenium levels were four to five times as likely to develop the disease as those with higher levels. While it?s too soon to recommend selenium supplementation, older men in particular??who tend to have the lowest selenium levels and the highest prostate-cancer risk??may want to include at least some of these selenium-rich foods in their diet: fish and seafood, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, whole-wheat products, and lean meat.
In the second study,
researchers from Sweden followed some 6,300 men for up to 30 years. Those who ate no fish were two to three times as likely to develop fatal prostate cancer as those who ate at least three or four servings a week. To explain their finding, the researchers noted that fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which inhibit the cancer in animals. But fish is also high in selenium.
Earlier research suggests that these foods might also help fend off prostate cancer: tomatoes, apricots, guava, pink grapefruit, and watermelon, all rich in the antioxidant lycopene; apples, onions, purple grape juice, red wine, tea, and, to a lesser extent, green leafy vegetables, beans, and citrus fruits, all containing the antioxidant quercetin; and cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, all rich in the cancer-fighting substance sulforaphane.
If you suspect you have or are at risk for prostate cancer, make an appointment with your doctor soon. Prompt, proper treatment can help limit the spread of prostate cancer and restore your quality of life. With many surgical and therapeutic options available, having up-to-date, unbiased information is crucial.
Following up on earlier studies linking selenium with reduced prostate-cancer risk, researchers from Stanford University, the National Institute on Aging, and Johns Hopkins medical school
looked back at the blood levels of selenium that 52 prostate-cancer patients and 96 healthy men had before any of the cancers appeared. Those with the lowest selenium levels were four to five times as likely to develop the disease as those with higher levels. While it?s too soon to recommend selenium supplementation, older men in particular??who tend to have the lowest selenium levels and the highest prostate-cancer risk??may want to include at least some of these selenium-rich foods in their diet: fish and seafood, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, whole-wheat products, and lean meat.
In the second study,
researchers from Sweden followed some 6,300 men for up to 30 years. Those who ate no fish were two to three times as likely to develop fatal prostate cancer as those who ate at least three or four servings a week. To explain their finding, the researchers noted that fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which inhibit the cancer in animals. But fish is also high in selenium.
Earlier research suggests that these foods might also help fend off prostate cancer: tomatoes, apricots, guava, pink grapefruit, and watermelon, all rich in the antioxidant lycopene; apples, onions, purple grape juice, red wine, tea, and, to a lesser extent, green leafy vegetables, beans, and citrus fruits, all containing the antioxidant quercetin; and cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, all rich in the cancer-fighting substance sulforaphane.
If you suspect you have or are at risk for prostate cancer, make an appointment with your doctor soon. Prompt, proper treatment can help limit the spread of prostate cancer and restore your quality of life. With many surgical and therapeutic options available, having up-to-date, unbiased information is crucial.
CITATIONS
Brooks, JD, et al. "Plasma selenium level before diagnosis and the risk of prostate cancer development." The Journal of Urology, December 1, 2001, pp. 2034-38.Terry, P, et al. "Fatty fish consumption and risk of prostate cancer." The Lancet, June 2, 2001, pp. 1764-66.This site is for your information only. For medical advice, consult a health professional.
