The prostate is a part of the reproductive system in men. This part is most prone to cancer in men, with 1.4 million new cases leading to 375,304 reported deaths every year. Men with age over 75 years are highly susceptible to prostate cancer-related mortalities.
Timely screening of the prostate remains the best factor in preventing the cancer from spreading and saving lives. While regular checkups are a must, if you haven’t scheduled any, look out for certain signs linked to prostate cancer. Scroll down to learn more about its symptoms, diagnostic tests, and risk reduction with foods like nuts, seeds, fish oil capsules, multivitamins, etc.
What is Prostate and Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a gland in men or the people assigned male at birth. It is located right below the bladder and in front of the rectum. This walnut-shaped gland secretes a liquid that mixes with semen to keep it healthy.
Prostate cancer is the overgrowth of the cells in the prostate, forming a tumour-like growth. This cancer is common, affecting 13 out of 100 males, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read the following section to spot the early signs of prostate cancer.
Signs of Prostate Cancer
Your body shows some signs of prostate cancer that could be an alarm for you to go for a screening. Here are some:
- Urgent need to pee, especially at night.
- Weak flow of urine that stops in between.
- Pain in the urinary passage.
- Not having control of the bladder.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Blood clots in semen.
- Blood in urine.
- Painful ejaculation.
- Pain in the chest, back, and hips.
While these signs are linked with prostate cancer, they may not always indicate prostate cancer.
Sometimes, swelling or inflammation in the prostate (prostatitis) due to bacterial infection can be the cause. Benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, is another cause that leads to an enlarged prostate, causing pain, bleeding, and discomfort. These two prostate issues are benign and do not increase cancer risk.
This emphasises the importance of screening tests to confirm cancer. PSA or Prostate-specific antigen blood test and digital rectal exam are two tests that are done to examine prostate health and cancerous growth.
Foods to Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk
Many foods are known to combat inflammation and prevent cancer growth in the body, and they may also be effective in preventing prostate cancer. Take a look:
- Nuts and Seeds: All nuts and seeds are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to prevent inflammation and cancerous growth in the body.
- Fish: Fish like salmon and sardines are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which affect the body’s inflammatory response and may prevent cancer. The best way to get these benefits is to consume fish oil via capsules.
- Pomegranate: Certain compounds, punicalagin and punicalin, present in pomegranate block the growth of cancer cells, as per the latest research.
- Berries: Studies have shown that most berries, like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc., are packed with antioxidants that control cell damage and cancer growth. If you can’t eat fruits daily, you can quickly get antioxidants from vitamin tablets.
Wrapping Up
Prostate cancer is one of the significant health concerns in males. It leads to symptoms like pain during peeing, ejaculation, blood in urine or semen, frequent urination, etc. These signs call for prostate cancer screening for proper diagnosis. As prevention is better than cure, men can consume fresh fruits, berries, and pomegranates and have omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, nuts, and seeds. Having the best multivitamin for men also reduces cellular damage and tumour growth in the prostate.
