Eating colorful fruits and vegetables has many benefits, and new research from the University of Australia has just added a new one that is especially beneficial for men: those who regularly consume these types of foods are less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Therefore, a rainbow of foods rich in certain micronutrients helps prevent prostate cancer, as well as speeding recovery for men who undergo radiation therapy to treat the disease.
Australian researchers compared plasma micronutrient concentrations of prostate cancer patients with a healthy control group, revealing low levels of lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene, and selenium in prostate cancer patients and high levels of iron, sulfur, and calcium. in the same group, relative to controls.
Increased DNA damage after radiation exposure was also associated with low levels of lycopene and selenium in the blood plasma.
Men with plasma concentrations of less than 0.25 micrograms (ug) per milliliter (mL) of lycopene and/or less than 120ug/L of selenium are at increased risk of prostate cancer and are likely to be more sensitive to its harmful effects. of radiation.
Using these data, study co-author Dr Permal Deo, from the University of South Australia, says eating foods naturally rich in lycopene and selenium is preferable to taking supplements, the benefits of which are limited, according to previous studies.
Foods rich in lycopene include tomatoes, melons, papayas, grapes, peaches, watermelons, and cranberries. Foods rich in selenium are white meat, fish, shellfish, eggs and nuts.
“Our recommendation is to adopt a Mediterranean diet with the help of a dietitian, as people absorb nutrients in different ways, depending on food, digestive system, the person’s genotype, and possibly their microbiome,” says Dr. Deo .
Prostate cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers among men, but the nutritional deficiencies associated with it remain largely unknown, hence this study. Other risk factors, such as ethnicity, family history, and age, have already been linked to prostate cancer.
Dr Deo says, “There is strong evidence that being overweight and taller increase the risk of prostate cancer. Diets high in dairy products and low in vitamin E may also increase risk, but the evidence is less clear.” Foods rich in vitamin E are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.
