Written by MASSH
Apr 15, 2024
Prostate cancer is among the most common types of cancer for men if not the most common. Any man over the age of 50 and as long as they live fall in the risk category of prostate cancer. The older you get, the higher your risk of this condition. Although the condition is not generally fatal, cancer can spread to other parts of your body through metastasis, which can be fatal.
With the right lifestyle management tips, dietary changes, and regular exercise, it is possible to manage the risk of prostate cancer. Following the measures properly can even help you prevent prostate cancer overall. So, how can you prevent prostate cancer? Here are the top 10 prostate cancer prevention tips that will help you mitigate your risk of the condition.
Eat a Balanced Diet
When talking about ways to prevent prostate cancer, eating a balanced diet surpasses all other prevention strategies. Your diet should be nutritious and it should have enough minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients to sustain a healthy body and mind. Due to poor eating habits, a lot of health concerns arise, which require medical attention, this includes the risk of prostate cancer. A balanced diet that’s approved by your doctors is your way to reduce your risk of prostate cancer as well as other chronic health conditions.
Exercise Daily
Exercising daily is an important part of prostate health guidelines, especially as you age. Light aerobic exercises, cardio exercises, or yoga all of them are good for your health, if you are unable to hit the gym and do weight training and other intensive exercises. The key is to have at least 30 minutes in a day be dedicated to some form of physical exercise. Be it a brisk walk or even swimming, these activities can help you keep your risk of prostate cancer as well as other chronic health conditions in check.
Limit Your Fat Intake
Eating different types of fat such as trans fat, saturated fat, and food items with high fat content significantly increase your risk of prostate cancer. You need to limit your fat intake to mitigate your risk for the condition. Replacing your intake of high fat content food items like red meat and processed meats, you can opt for chicken, legumes, and fish as they have leaner proteins. Vegan options like tofu, lentils, beans, and peas are a great option to keep your risk of prostate cancer in check.
Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
The goal of exercising everyday is to help you maintain a healthy body weight. A healthy body weight keeps all the systems in your body functioning optimally. This reduces your risk of chronic diseases significantly and also helps you live a more fulfilling and healthier life. While being overweight doesn’t directly increase your risk of prostate cancer, it can increase your risk of dying from prostate cancer. Studies have shown people with obesity are significantly more likely to have fatal complications from prostate cancer.
Stop Smoking
Cessation of smoking is one of the most important steps for you to reduce prostate cancer risk. Smoking affects your health negatively and impacts almost every major organ system in your body including your urological system. Smoking cessation also reduces your risk of other cancer types such as lung cancer, throat cancer, and cancer of the mouth. Addiction to tobacco is a serious addiction and if you are suffering from it, adequate medical help is available. You can opt for smoking cessation campaigns or get personalised treatment from doctors that will help you quit smoking.
Limit Or Stop Alcohol Consumption
Among prostate cancer prevention strategies, limiting your alcohol intake is extremely important. Drinking alcohol regularly puts an increasing amount of pressure on your renal system and urological health, especially as you age. Studies have shown high consumption of alcohol to directly lead to an increased risk of prostate cancer. So, it is important for you to limit your consumption and consider quitting completely as you age. Quitting alcohol and smoking can help you live a healthier life overall if you do it in a timely manner.
Manage Stress Levels
Stress has a negative impact on your health and requires active efforts from your end to manage it. Excess stress can cause an increase in your body’s blood pressure levels, which can put an increased pressure on your kidneys and urological health. Exercising every day and having a balanced diet go a long way in reducing your stress levels. If these steps are not enough, you can try meditation or yoga to help you keep your stress levels in check.
Go For Regular Health Screenings
Prostate cancer treatment doesn’t have to start when symptoms appear. You can opt for regular health screenings and detect prostate cancer at its earliest possible stages. This improves your survival rate for prostate cancer and helps you go through therapeutic treatments rather than having to opt for surgical intervention. Regular health screenings such as prostate examinations are a must for any man over the age of 40 to be performed during your annual physical or as directed by doctors.
Take Supplements (If Prescribed)
Taking supplements can be a great way to fulfil any nutritional deficiencies you may have in your diet. However, dietary supplements are best taken when they are prescribed by doctors. Over consumption of dietary nutrients have side effects and can even cause harm to your health. When doctors prescribe supplements it is done after thorough testing and understanding your nutritional deficiencies. This ensures you don’t have any side effects to your health and the supplements help you live healthier and reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water everyday is necessary to stay healthy. Most adults today are dehydrated to some degree regardless of how easily drinking water is available today. Staying hydrated according to the recommended amount, which is at least two litres of water a day can help your body function at its best. This is all the more important as you age, as hydration helps your body function well, which would slow down the effects of ageing on your health. In terms of the risk of prostate cancer, staying hydrated can help you reduce your risk of the condition and even prevent it when done in a timely manner.
Prostate cancer has an almost perfect five-year survival rate, which leads to people not taking it seriously. Without adequate prostate cancer prevention strategies, the condition can affect you and spread to other parts of your urological system or other parts of your body. With the right diet and lifestyle changes, it is possible to prevent prostate cancer overall. Given how dangerous cancer is for your health, this is one of the most positive outcomes for the condition. So, make sure you follow the preventative measures mentioned in this article and check out MASSH for more information about prostate cancer and its treatment. You can also check out our website to learn more about prostate cancer treatment at MASSH or visit us today to consult with our specialists.
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