Pizza and Prostate Cancer...

What's The Connection...?

This year, an estimated 334,500 men will get a dreaded diagnosis of cancer of the prostate. However, there are certain things you can do to help yourself tremendously reduce the incidence in your personal life.

Suppose it is not cancer, but Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), a thickening of the tissues which lead to problems with nocturnal (nighttime) or diurnal (during the daytime) urinary problems such as incomplete bladder evacuation. Or, the BPH is causing a choking off of the neural impulses to the penile vascular bed such that one has trouble with sexual response.

Then with all this, there are modalities or measures you should try. For instance, Testosterone metabolizes (breaks down) to dihydrotestosterone which goes to form BPH. Researchers have discovered that estrogen hydroxylates and eliminates DHT.

But most men would not take estrogen because of the side effect, which is feminization. Also, estrogen is a two-edged sword, like the Sword of Damocles. It has been shown in the breast and uterus of women that estrogen metabolizes into 4-hydroxy estradiol (4-HE). This is a potent source of Free Radicals that fly around under terrific force in the cells and cause havoc, creating reproductive problems, aging, and cancer cells. In the male, it may just bring about BHP and/or cancerous conditions in the prostate.

Several Substances have been shown to exert a protective effect for the Prostate:

Saw Palmetto:

It has been shown that this herbal extract has anti-androgenic and anti-estrogenic properties that go along with its anti-inflammatory properties in the prostate gland, assisting in achieving good bladder evacuation, sexual response, and keeping down BHT and conditions that bring about cancer. It does this by attacking the DHT receptors in the prostate gland such that the prostate can no longer convert a major amount of testosterone to DHT. The DHT levels become more acceptable.

Vitamin E:

The free radical theory of prostate cancer may explain recent dietary observations that Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, reduces, for men taking this vitamin, the likeliness to develop prostate cancer over men who don't take the vitamin.

Lycopene:

Lycopene, a carotenoid pigment in tomatoes that gives them their red color, is a another antioxidant that helps guard against prostate cancer or reduces its incidence. In fact, if you eat pizzas, then always ask for a double or triple serving of the red sauce to go on it. Tomato sauce is higher in Lycopene than tomatoes, and tomato paste is even higher, due to its concentration.

According to a study published last year (1996) in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men who ate tomato sauce and tomatoes were less likely to get prostate cancer than men who hardly ate them.

The tomato sauce was more associated with the protective effect than the tomatoes. The study was conducted by Harvard medical researchers, and the results illustrated that men who ate more pizza, tomato sauce and tomatoes had less incidence of prostatic cancer.

Lycopene, the antioxidant pigment that gives tomatoes their red color is the responsible agent, researchers felt, for this protective effect. In the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, according to Sharon Landvik, MS, RD, prostatic cancer was reduced by nearly 45% in the men who ate 10 servings per week of foods based on tomatoes.

Selenium:

This is another antioxidant found in certain organ meats (again, cholesterol associated with meat; hence, another reason for taking supplements), and grain may also reduce a man's risk of developing this cancer.

Genistein

This is a compound in soy protein that blocks much of estrogen's activity in people and inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells. Most people do not eat soybeans, nor will they take the time to take a soy protein powder several times a day. Hence, again, the need for supplements.

All this, taken together, indicates that the administration of antioxidants, either through diet and/or drugs, has the possibility to retard or roll back the cancer incidence caused by DNA damage in the prostate or breast. Diet and supplements are the first choice.

Nutritional Substances and Their Target Tissues
Carotenoids	Target Tissues
Beta Carotene	Skin
	Protection of LDL cholesterol from oxidation
	Pro-vitamin A activity as a:
	Cell Normalizer
	Maintenance of mucus linings
	Production of rhodopsin, night vision chemical
Lycopene	Skin
	Prostate
	Pancreas
Lutein and Zeaxanthin	Central retina (macula)
	Lung
	Breast