Some excellent news for men concerned about their prostate health, and specifically about their “prostate specific antigen” (PSA) level is that certain foods can actually help lower the PSA levels of men. This is important, because a high PSA marker is considered an important risk factor for prostate cancer. This antigen is a protein found in the blood that has been strongly associated with the risk or presence of prostate cancer risk. As such is has been hailed as a powerful tool for lowering prostate cancer deaths by helping identify susceptible men sooner.
Men who can lower the PSA levels in their blood may also lower their risk of developing this cancer that kills around 32,000 men annually. The potential has not been established by research but is indicated by statistics. Men who want to do all they can to lower their own PSA levels and fight this aggressive cancer can possibly help themselves by consuming more foods that lower PSA levels in the blood. Examples of these foods are cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranates. All these are high fiber foods with other health benefits such as the ability to help control cholesterol levels. Eating them is an excellent way to improve overall health which can aid in fighting off prostate and other cancers.
One particularly effective pair of foods to lower PSA levels is the combination of broccoli and tomatoes. When eaten together they seem to have a synergistic effect, each enhancing the other’s PSA lowering power. This result was seen in a clinical study of the effects of eating foods on prostate tumors and researchers noted that this food combination actually significantly helped with reduction of the growth of prostate cancer tumors. Despite this, the mechanism for such an effect has not been established and there is no way of guaranteeing that diet will preserve any individual man from ever developing prostate cancer.
All these foods are good foods that should be a part of everyone’s diet in order to maintain health, and eating them to fight PSA levels at least allows individuals to take some proactive steps to fight this killer. To truly ensure they do all they can to protect themselves, all men, especially as they enter middle age, need to see their doctor regularly for checkups of their overall health in addition to their PSA levels.
