Gabe Mirkin, M.D. is a sports medicine doctor who publishes extensive information about staying healthy on his website. If you aren’t already reading his frequent posts about men’s health, this excerpt from one about preventing prostrate cancer will introduce you to his expertise.

“Lifestyle appears to be a major factor in whether you develop prostate cancer.

“In rural China, fewer than four percent of men over 90 have prostate cancer, while Chinese men who adopt the Western diet and lifestyle have the same high rates as North American men. The rural Chinese habits of a plant-based diet, low calorie intake and daily manual labor probably account for much of the difference.

Most North American men eat the typical western diet loaded with red and processed meat, sugared drinks, sugar-added and fried foods, do not exercise and gain an average of five pounds every decade. The typical Western diet appears to weaken your immunity and put you at increased risk for diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and various cancers including prostate cancer.

 Red Meat and Fried Foods

Red meat is associated with increased risk both for prostate cancer and for advanced type of prostate cancer that can kill possibly because of the heterocyclic amines produced during cooking.

Lack of Exercise and Overweight

Lack of exercise and being overweight are associated with increased risk for the type of prostate cancer that kills. An extensive review shows that exercise is associated with a lowered risk for prostate cancer and its recurrence.

High Blood Sugar Levels

Prostate cancer is associated with everything that raises blood sugar levels: metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes), diabetes, inflammation, obesity and weight gain, lack of exercise, and lack of vitamin D. A high rise in blood sugar causes a marked increase in insulin and IGF-1, hormones that cause cells to multiply and grow to increase cancer risk. People who take in a lot of refined carbohydrates have high insulin and IGF-1 levels and are at increased risk for prostate cancer.

Lack of Vitamin D

Scientists have not shown that high blood sugar levels cause prostate cancer, but they have shown that having high blood sugar levels is associated with increased prostate cancer risk. Vitamin D deficiency blocks insulin receptors to raise blood sugar levels and increase risk for diabetes. Men who have low blood levels of vitamin D are at increased risk for prostate cancer and specifically for the type of prostate cancer that kills.

Lifestyle Changes Help Men Who Already Have Prostate Cancer

A study from Harvard shows that men who have prostate cancer and adopt a heart-healthy, plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruit, beans, fish and whole grains are far less likely to die from prostate cancer, compared to prostate cancer patients who continued to eat red meat, processed meat, eggs, potatoes, high-fat dairy products, butter, processed grains found in bakery products and pastas, snacks, sweets and desserts.”

Read the full article here: Prostate Cancer, Diet and Lifestyle.