A cornucopia of tips for a prostate healthy diet

By Carrie Maharajh

As a registered dietitian, I get a lot of referrals from physicians treating patients with prostate problems. More and more of them (the doctors and the patients) are asking me about lycopene and its alleged protective effect against prostate cancer. Lycopene is a red pigment found in abundance in tomatoes and other red fruits. Recent studies dispute the claim that lycopene has any effect on prostate cancer, including a large trial of 692 prostate patients in the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention and a review of the evidence in the May issue of In Vivo. While the jury's out, the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada continues to recommend patients ensure daily intake of lycopene.

A LA CARTE
Your prostate disease patients are probably bombarding you with questions like "Should tomatoes be cooked or uncooked?" and "What's the best source of selenium?" Physicians have enough to worry about keeping track of patients' meds, let alone how they prepare their meals. So what quick and easy advice can you offer to get them on the right track to prostate health?

The best approach is moderation, according to Winnipeg urologist Dr Dave Maharajh, who also happens to be my husband. He says the patients who are most anxious for nutritional advice are those referred for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatic symptoms or elevated PSA levels, especially if they have a positive family history of prostate cancer. They ask him what, how much and how to get the foods and supplements that they read and hear about in the news.

He urges you to keep it simple. "They don't want to hear complex advice, they want me to simplify all the stories they are hearing and put it in a practical package for them," he's realized. "They'd also prefer to know 'brand names' of food products to buy to make shopping easier although admittedly this is tough to do with food manufacturers constantly changing ingredients."

Prostate diet advice is similar to what you'd give patients with CVD risk factors. In fact, you can double up your advice since most men asking for help for their prostate would also benefit from a heart healthy diet. Dr Maharajh advises lowering fat intake, consuming tomato products (preferably cooked) three times per week or more, and taking a multivitamin to get adequate vitamin E, selenium and zinc if their diet is not providing adequate amounts. Higher levels of vitamin E (beyond 400IU/day) could potentially have a negative impact on heart disease and selenium has been found to be helpful only in those with low plasma levels of the mineral and potentially harmful if supplements are taken unnecessarily.