Everyone wants to lower their chances of getting cancer. The good news is you can: research has shown that certain behaviors, like exercising, can significantly lower your risk. For men, prostate cancer is particularly scary: aside from skin cancer, it is the most common form of cancer found in guys, according to the American Cancer Society. This year alone, an estimated 164,690 guys will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Guys older than 50, those with a family history of prostate cancer and African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of course, there aren’t any magical solutions to ensure you’ll never get prostate cancer, but it is possible to reduce your risk of diagnosis by following one of these eight tips.
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Eat less meat
Studies have shown that men who eat foods high in animal fat, such as dairy and red meat, were more likely to develop prostate cancer. It’s important to note that these studies do not show that fattening foods actually cause prostate cancer. Rather, they show there is a correlation between prostate cancer and consuming things like cheese or bacon. Oncologist Dr. David Wise of the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone advises patients to get most of their fat from avocados and nuts over animal products.
Eat your broccoli
In terms of cancer-fighting foods, Wise says, “cruciferous vegetables really seem to keep popping out” as the most effective. These types of vegetables include broccoli and cauliflower, which contain a natural chemical that may prevent cancer from growing. According to Wise, this chemical is harmful to cancer cells but perfectly fine for other cells in our body. He says the evidence for eating cruciferous vegetables is the strongest in terms of prostate cancer-fighting foods.
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Don’t smoke
“Smoking is not just linked to lung cancer, it’s linked to other cancer, including prostate cancer,” Wise says. In particular, smoking is linked to aggressive forms of prostate cancer that are more likely to spread, he says. What’s more, a review of 24 studies looking at prostate cancer risk and smoking published in 2010 determined that guys who smoked the most had a 24 to 30 percent higher risk of dying from prostate cancer than nonsmokers. This was due to the more aggressive tumors associated with smoking.
Avoid certain supplements
Typically, we tend to worry about getting enough vitamins, but “just because it’s a vitamin doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good thing,” says Wise. Researchers from a 2014 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that supplementing with vitamin E and selenium as may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer. And Wise agrees with the research saying that supplementing “beyond what we would have in our normal diet would be a bad idea.”
According to the National Institute of Health, adults should get 15 mg of vitamin E a day.
Ejaculate regularly
As if masturbation didn’t already provide enough of a payoff, an Australian study found that DIY sex may help prevent prostate cancer. The study of 2,338 men showed that guys who masturbated five or more times a week were 34 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer by age 70 than those who handled matters less often.
“Seminal fluid contains substances that are carcinogenic,” Graham Giles, Ph.D., the lead study author, told Men’s Health. “Regular ejaculation may help flush them out.” According to Mel magazine, the high concentrations of potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid that help make sperm may be carcinogenic when mixed together.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, straight-up sex works, too.
“Seminal fluid contains substances that are carcinogenic,” Graham Giles, Ph.D., the lead study author, told Men’s Health. “Regular ejaculation may help flush them out.” According to Mel magazine, the high concentrations of potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid that help make sperm may be carcinogenic when mixed together.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, straight-up sex works, too.
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Have safe sex
Speaking of sex, using protection may lower your chances of developing prostate cancer. Sexually transmitted infections like cytomegalovirus and trichomoniasis have been linked to prostate cancer. The first is a type of herpes found in cancerous prostate tissue. Trichomoniasis, on the other hand, is a treatable virus that may have long-term effects. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention found that guys who were ever infected with trichomoniasis had a 40 percent greater chance of developing prostate cancer.
Lose Weight
Years of research clearly show that extra body weight is associated with an increased cancer risk, include aggressive forms of prostate cancer, writes the American Cancer Society. It’s not clear why excess fat is linked with cancer, but researchers theorize it may be because levels of certain hormones, e.g., insulin, estrogen and androgen, are reduced when people are at a healthy weight. The National Institute of Health’s Body Mass Index calculator can determine if you’re considered overweight or obese.
Exercise
Research continually shows that staying active might prevent prostate cancer.. In fact, Wise believes exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are the two single-best ways to reduce your prostate cancer risk. “I think that time, energy and funds should be invested into getting into healthy weight and getting onto an exercise program,” he says.
How much should you work out?
“About two and a half hours of moderate exercise or about an hour and fifteen minutes a week of very intense exercise would be the minimum,” Wise recommends.
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