Google reports, 9 June 2004, a study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association by Swedish researchers from the University Hospital, Orebro. They followed-up 223 patients aged 41 to 91 from central Sweden with prostate cancer that was caught early and initially left untreated.

The study says, "Even without initial treatment only a small proportion of all patients with cancer diagnosed at an early clinical stage die from prostate cancer within 10 to 15 years,"   Three times as many men died more than 15 years after diagnosis as died in the first 15 years after diagnosis.

The study also says, "Postponement of death is not the only treatment objective because local progression may create substantial suffering," The study added, "Our data indicates that the probability of progression to a more aggressive and lethal (disease) may increase after long-term follow-up of prostate cancers that are diagnosed at an early stage and initially left without treatment".

Prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 45 but the chance of getting it increases sharply with age after that according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Most victims in the United States are older than 65. The 10- to 15-year wait-and-see approach is usually offered to older men who have other medical problems and are in the early stage of the disease. For patients in good health younger than 70 surgery is usually offered, the institute adds . Radiation and hormone therapy are other possibilities for treatment.

What about Prevention?

I am always disappointed when no mention is made of the importance of prevention. What can we men do to help prevent Prostate Cancer? Do we have to sit around and await the inevitable?  Fortunately the answer is, "There are things we can do and No, emphatically, No, we do not need to sit around expecting the inevitable"

We all know the need for 5 - 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (3 - 5 vegetable servings and 2 - 4 fruit servings). Making one of the vegetable servings each day a serving of cruciferous vegetables helps protect men from prostate cancer and women from breast and cervical cancer. Cruciferous vegetables contain a group of chemicals called "isothiocyanates" of which an important member is sulphorphane. These phytonutrients activate the enzymes that detoxify (or neutralize) carcinogens. They also take part in the excretion of carcinogens. Research has also shown that they also block carcinogens at the DNA level. Cruciferous vegetables also contain indole carbinols (especially indole-3-carbinol) which assist estrogen to follow a metabolic pathway with a lower risk for breast cancer.

Members of the cruciferous family include: broccoli, kale, watercress, radish, mustard (black and brown) and bok choy.

The carotenoid rich vegetables also provide increased protection against cancers of all kinds. In particular, the carotenoid lycopene found in tomatoes is very helpful for maintaining prostate health. A nice side-effect (side benefit) of carotenoids is that they also protect against heart disease. I eat a large, fresh salad every day and include in it carotenoid rich foods like tomatoes and red bell peppers. Other carotenoid-rich foods include carrots, spinach, appricots, peaches and strawberries.

So, eat those 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily and make sure at least one is from the cruciferous family and at least one is carotenoid-rich (especially tomatoes).

For those of you 'on-the-run' who know their salad intake is low, consider a supplement like PhytoDefense (which contains extracts of 25 different fruits and vegetables). If you have difficulty finding PhytoDefense contact contact us and we will assist you find a source.