Common Ground: The Early Later Show

June 2006 | Whole Health

The Early Later Show

Catching prostate cancer early is best since this allows more time for men to benefit from healing food, herbs and supplements

By Elizabeth Barker

The commonality of prostate cancer — it is the most prevalent non-skin cancer in the country — doesn’t make it any less disarming for men. Every sixth guy will confront this form of cancer in his lifetime.

And what those men hear about conventional treatment options after the initial diagnosis is what usually throws them most off-balance.

From radiation to removal to hormone therapy, most conventional therapies can be described as “fairly intense,” often triggering side effects like urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, says Dr. Erik Altmann, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based naturopathic physician. The terms “incontinence” and “impotence” are like alarms blaring at the same time.

Fortunately, about half of the 234,000-plus American men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006 can choose to delay such treatments and take their time to explore less aggressive alternative therapies.

“Research has shown that men with low-risk prostate cancer [usually caught early] can safely wait up to six months to get treated without jeopardizing their chances of cancer progression,” says Dr. Timothy J. Wilt, professor of medicine for the Minneapolis VA Center for Chronic Diseases Outcomes Research.

That allows some time for healing foods, herbs and supplements.

“Prostate cancer can be a long-smoldering deal without rapid growth,” explains Altmann. “So during the period when conventional medicine has nothing to offer, we tell patients to incorporate natural therapies and continue following up with an oncologist. If their levels of prostate-specific antigen [or PSA, a tumor marker used to screen for prostate cancer] change for the better, then we’re progressing in the right direction.”

Of course, optimal health means protecting the prostate before cancer is even detected. Here is a guide to natural remedies that may help prevent and treat a disease that has a near-100 percent cure rate when found early.

The pro-prostate diet

As with any anti-cancer diet, eating for a healthy prostate calls for trimming the saturated fat and red meat from your meals.

“There’s a link between increased animal fats and prostate cancer, so I recommend a vegetarian-based diet whenever possible,” says Altmann. A recent study from the journal Cancer Research showed that the omega-6 fatty acids found in red meat — as well as egg yolks, and corn and soybean oils — doubled the growth rate of human prostate tumors in cell cultures.

“If you must eat beef, try grazed cattle, which are fed grass that’s high in omega-3s, rather than cattle that are fed with corn,” says study author Millie Hughes-Fulford, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Cell Growth at San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Those precious omega-3s, so wonderfully abundant on most any sushi platter, may help keep the prostate cancer-free. Aaron E. Katz, a physician at the Columbia University Center for Holistic Urology and author of Dr. Katz’s Guide to Prostate Health, points to a 2003 study finding that men who ate omega-3-rich fish more than three times a week had roughly half the risk of metastatic prostate cancer compared to men who ate fish less than twice a month.

Altmann recommends eating a handful of pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon of flaxseed daily to boost your intake of omega-3s: “Pumpkin seeds have long been in traditional use for prostate issues, although they’re not shown to be directly anti-tumor,” he says.

But the biggest benefit may come from loading up on fruits and veggies as you cut back on the bad stuff.

“Lycopene, which is most bioavailable from cooked tomato products like tomato sauce, appears to be protective against prostate cancer,” says Katherine L. Tucker, director of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Also found in juicy summer fruits like watermelon and papaya, lycopene acts as an antioxidant and may reduce PSA levels.

As for vegetables, look to crucifers like broccoli, cauliflower, radishes and kale for a top source of isocyanates, chemicals that help to detoxify carcinogens in the body. When digested, crucifers produce indole-3-carbinol, a phytochemical that may slow the growth of prostate cancer cells, according to Katz.

Healing herbs and supplements

Since even the most conscious eaters aren’t likely to incorporate the perfect amount of prostate-healthy compounds at every meal, both Katz and Altmann recommend adding supplements to your self-care regimen.

“For men who have just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, I’d suggest selenium and vitamin D, which are anti-cancer,” says Altmann. Both nutrients may play a role in prostate cancer prevention, with the trace mineral selenium crucial for “cooling the fires of excess oxidation,” says Katz.

In fact, a study from the Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson found that taking 200 micrograms of selenium in supplement form daily decreased prostate cancer risk by 60 percent. And while unprotected sun exposure may be your best bet for upping your body’s vitamin D levels, Katz recommends that the sun-sensitive and climate-challenged get at least 400 IU daily from a multivitamin or supplement.

“In addition to inhibiting cancer growth and slowing cancer progression, vitamin D has been suggested to prevent prostate cancer,” says Yi-Fen Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Inflammation-taming herbs and supplements may offer prostate protection too. As Katz explains, chronic inflammation — often triggered by a high animal-fat diet — may increase oxidative stress, which in turn may raise cancer risk.

With 51 anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, green tea was found to inhibit prostate cancer development and metastasis in University of Wisconsin lab tests that studied the effect of drinking the equivalent of six cups of green tea a day. Because those six daily cups may mean too much brewing for the average tea drinker, Katz advises getting the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds through a green tea extract supplement.

Herbs like ginger, oregano, rosemary and holy basil (or tulsi, an ayurvedic herb) boast anti-inflammatory properties as well, he adds.

More sex, less stress

Here’s good cause to spend more time between the sheets: Even though previous research has linked frequent sex and masturbation to increased risk for prostate cancer, a 2004 Journal of the American Medical Association study of nearly 30,000 men found that those who ejaculated the most often had a 33 percent lower lifetime risk of prostate cancer compared to those who did not.

“I always encourage my patients to have more sex, but there’s an absence of conclusive evidence that it actually helps,” says Katz.

Perhaps the stress-easing element of sex lends some benefit. Last year, in the first study to provide direct evidence that lifestyle changes can combat prostate cancer, a research team led by Preventive Medicine Research Institute founder and president Dr. Dean Ornish, showed that reducing stress can slow the progression of early prostate cancer. Study participants had improved PSA levels after a year of switching to a vegan diet, exercising regularly and practicing yoga.

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