Prostate Diet

If you’re a middle-aged man (or already past it) here’s what should be on your menu today: tomato sauce, watermelon, stir-fried tofu and veggies. Wash down with a swig of green tea or pomegranate juice and you may be able to ward off prostate cancer.

New and better information is coming to light every day about ways to prevent this common disease. Prostate cancer struck an estimated 248,530 American men in 2021, with 34,130 deaths, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Since doctors are getting better at catching it early, fewer men are dying of prostate cancer. But one in eight men will still develop the disease in their lifetime, and African-American men have double the risk.

Eat your Veggies, Drink Tea

Luckily, if you are at risk, there are things you can do. Prevention may be as simple as eating better, exercising more and taking a few key supplements. Many of these remedies, which cut inflammation, may also help men struggling with a benign enlarged prostate.

For example, eating a lot of red meat, processed foods, alcohol, sugar and high-fat dairy products can lead to inflammation in the prostate gland (and other parts of the body). “It’s best to have an overall healthy lifestyle,” says Portland dietician Dee Sandquist, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). “You need to eat a balance of foods in moderate amounts.”

Processed meats and high-fat dairy have more chemical residues, which also may be related to cancer risk. Instead, Sandquist suggests, eat lower on the food chain. Add more grains and legumes. Go vegetarian a couple of times per week.

One of the most promising natural compounds for prostate cancer prevention is lycopene, Sandquist suggests. You can find it in cooked tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit. Sandquist recommends shooting for two to four servings of lycopene-rich foods per week. Since the body needs a little fat to absorb lycopene, have some olive oil with your pizza or spaghetti sauce.

Green tea can help, too. It’s full of antioxidants that appear to fight cancer. In particular, studies show, it has a lot of promise for preventing prostate cancer cells from growing into a threat. "Green tea leads damaged cells or cancer cells to commit suicide,” says University of Wisconsin Cancer Center researcher Dr. Hasan Mukhtar. He points to several epidemiological studies that show people who drink two to four cups of green tea per day have a lower incidence of prostate cancer (men in Asian countries, for example).

Pomegranate juice (the equivalent of two fruits per day) has anti-inflammatory effects that may also help with benign swelling of the prostate and cancer prevention. Check with your doctor because it could interact with certain medication, including blood pressure pills.

Cruciferous vegetables—such as broccoli, cauliflower, radish, turnip, cabbage and brussels sprouts—also have cancer-busting qualities, studies show. 

All of these foods should be part of a varied diet, Sandquist says. “We get the most health benefits from the overall variety,” she says. “There’s a synergy when these foods work together in the body. No one food has all the nutrients we need.”

Zyflamend Shows Promise

Another promising supplement is Zyflamend, a cluster of anti-inflammatory herbs such as tumeric and ginger, for sale by New Chapter (www.new-chapter.com) in most health food stores. Dr.Aaron Katz, director of Columbia University’s Center for Holistic Urology, discovered Zyflamend when many of his patients said they were trying it for prostate problems. Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering showed the mix of herbs in Zyflamend could stop prostate cancer cells from growing.

Back to Basics

For now, making lifestyle changes and maintaining a healthy diet may be the most effective way to prevent prostate cancer, experts say. “Obesity is actually an inflammatory state, so being physically active is incredibly important,” Parnes says. “It’s all about the balance between how much we eat and how much exercise we get.” 

In other words, get off the couch. And eat your vegetables. Especially the broccoli and tomatoes.