By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

September 1, 2021

Back in the late 1978, I had a mentor named Dr. Linus Pauling – the only man to win two Nobel prizes. At the time, Dr. Pauling was in his late 70s and living with prostate cancer.

But he didn’t let it slow him down one bit. His lectures were simple but brilliant and vibrant.  He lived to the ripe age of 93 before passing away. Dr. Pauling was also famous for only eating organic veggies and keeping his cancer at bay with daily doses of vitamin C.

Then, I had a patient – a Hollywood plastic surgeon in fact – who was under my care for 10 years while living with prostate cancer. At 78 years of age, he decided to skip radiation or chemotherapy in favor of diet and lifestyle changes. This man, too, lived a good long time.

Many people believed prostate cancer was directly linked to our levels of testosterone. But if it was… then young men globally (with robust levels of testosterone) would be the prime candidates. And an international study, with 46 experts from top name institutions around the world, confirmed that this was not the case.

They found men’s risk of prostate cancer were not linked to their levels of testosterone.

My point is this…

The foods you eat can have a very real impact on the health of your prostate.

And if you want the truth, there are other things in your life that likely play a much larger role than testosterone when it comes to your chances of developing prostate cancer.

Things That Actually Matter When It Comes to Prostate Cancer

For example, here’s something I’ll bet you’ll find surprising.

If you regularly drink two or more glasses a day of pasteurized, non-organic milk, you’re almost twice as likely to develop prostate cancer. Other dairy products – like cheese and ice cream – just add fuel to the fire — increasing your risk even more. Just a thought; what if the carcinogens responsible aren’t part of the milk and milk products we’ve been consuming for millennia but the hormones, antibiotics and pesticides we’ve added to factory produced cow’s milk?

Then, there’s red and processed meats, which double your risk. Even being overweight will make you more likely to have the most aggressive type of prostate cancer; likely because of the increased systemic inflammation associated with that extra fat.

So how can you avoid these issues? The key is to choose the right types of foods to help your body sidestep cancer.

You see, your body is actually designed to kill cancer cells before they multiply. So don’t eat foods that will shut down your natural defenses. Instead, flood your body with foods and nutrients that help you stay healthy.

Growing up in South Philadelphia, I never really learned to cook and eat vegetables. Instead, my mother served us hearty meals of meat and potatoes and pasta. If we had a side dish of veggies, they came from a can.

Today, I know about a group of vegetables called “cruciferous” or “brassica” vegetables. These include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, radishes, rutabaga, turnips and watercress.

These veggies contain powerful phytonutrients called sulfuraphane and indoles that have anti-cancer properties.

Just three or more servings a week can shrink your risk of prostate cancer by about 41%. Other than coleslaw, these are foods I never ate until college and now I work on having one of these every day if I can.

Pomegranate juice is another natural wonder when it comes to warding off prostate cancer. First, it lowers levels of inflammation that place you at risk for prostate cancer. But more importantly, it can stop cancer cells from spreading…even killing them off.

Lycopene-rich tomatoes are a great cancer fighter, too. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that can slash the risk of prostate cancer by about a third. It’s also associated with low PSA levels. If you have concerns about lectin level…peel the skin off.

In an odd twist, the lycopene in canned tomatoes is much more absorbable than that in the fresh fruit. Go for an organic brand that has a low salt content…or supplement with 6.5 mg of lycopene daily.

Healthy fats, like those found in olive oil, nuts and wild-caught seafood can also cut your risk.

Don’t let bad food habits seal your fate. Remember…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that’s never been truer than when it comes to cancer.

Sources:

Endogenous Hormones and Prostate Cancer Collaborative Group, Roddam AW, et al. Endogenous sex hormones and prostate cancer: a collaborative analysis of 18 prospective studies. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008 Feb 6;100(3):170-83.

Tseng M, et al. Dairy, calcium, and vitamin D intakes and prostate cancer risk in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Epidemiologic Follow-up Study cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 May;81(5):1147-54.

Rohrmann S, et al. Meat and dairy consumption and subsequent risk of prostate cancer in a US cohort study. Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Feb;18(1):41-50.

Giovannucci E, et al. A prospective study of dietary fat and risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Oct 6;85(19):1571-9.

Cohen JH, et al. Fruit and vegetable intakes and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000 Jan 5;92(1):61-8

Wang L, et al. Pomegranate and its components as alternative treatment for prostate cancer. Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Aug 25;15(9):14949-66.

Fraser ML, et al. Lycopene and prostate cancer: emerging evidence. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2005 Oct;5(5):847-54.