In France, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. More than 8,500 men die from it every year.
It affects the prostate, which is a gland that is part of the reproductive system male. It is located under the bladder and surrounds the urethra. The role of the prostate is to produce prostatic fluid, and to store sperm before ejaculation.
Food rich in fatthe consumption of Red meattobacco and family history prostate cancer are among the main risk factors.
A new study has just identified a good means of prevention. A diet rich in lycopene and selenium that includes fruits and vegetables would prevent this cancer as well as accelerate recovery in men who are already sick, undergoing radiotherapy. The results, published in the journal Cancers, emphasize the importance of a mediterranean diet including these foods.
Prostate cancer: certain foods prevent the risk and protect against the harmful effects of radiotherapy
The researchers compared the plasma micronutrient concentrations of prostate cancer patients with those of a healthy control group.
In sick patients, there appeared to be low levels of luteinof lycopene, alpha-carotene and selenium.
A low content of lycopene and selenium in the blood plasma is likely to increase DNA damage caused by radiotherapy in patients. As for healthy patients, it turns out that those with plasma concentrations below 0.25 micrograms (ug) per milliliter (mL) for lycopene and/or below 120 ug/L for selenium have an increased risk of prostate cancer.
In concrete terms, it would therefore be necessary to warn lycopene and selenium deficiencies. These nutrients are naturally present in certain foods.
“Our recommendation is to adopt a Mediterranean diet with the help of a dietician, because people absorb nutrients in different ways, depending on the food, the digestive system, the person’s genotype and possibly their microbiome,” explains Dr. Permal Deo, co-author of the study.
“Diets high in dairy and low in vitamin E may also increase risk, but the evidence is less clear,” he adds. Discover in pictures the foods to put on the menu, according to the study.