Can Fruits and Vegetables Offer Protection from Prostate Cancer?

You've heard it said for years that you should eat fruits and vegetables, but does scientific research agree with that statement?

A big "yes" to that one! Scientists have found that to be healthy you need to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. And eating fresh fruits and vegetables helps prevent different kinds of cancer -- even prostate cancer.

But when it comes to vegetables or rather fruit to prevent prostate cancer, one fruit is king and that is the lowly tomato. Research over the years has proved that eating tomatoes as well as tomato-based products can help prevent cancer. The special substance that helps prevent cancer is called lycopene.  Lycopene can be found in a variety of different sources, but it's a gold mine in tomatoes. Many people believe that tomatoes are vegetables, but actually they are fruit -- a special fruit can really help your body. So eat lots of tomatoes for protection from prostate cancer.

You've no doubt heard about the benefits of antioxidants in helping you achieve maximum health. Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant. In fact it is one of the most powerful ones available! It's also a weapon against prostate cancer!

During the normal process of bodily functioning, excess oxygen atoms are formed called free radicals. They are used by the immune system to fight germs and bacteria and to mop them out. But as they roam freely throughout the body, they can also attack healthy cells -- which can start cancer cells growing. Then these new cancer cells attack neighboring cells and make more cancer cells. Antioxidants search and destroy the roaming dangerous free radicals, thus preventing all kinds of cancers -- prostate cancer included.

So to get lots of lycopene, eat lots of tomato products -- including catsup and tomato sauce -- to protect yourself from prostate cancer. Scientists have found that lycopene levels in processed tomatoes are higher than lycopene levels in fresh tomatoes!

To protect yourself from prostate cancer, try to eat two or more servings of lycopene each week. If you do this regularly, you will reduce your chances of developing prostate cancer. And if you already have prostate cancer, keep on consuming lycopene on a regular basis because it will slow the progress of prostate cancer a lot according to scientific studies.

If you want to protect yourself from developing prostate cancer, also be sure to eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane. And that's what strengthens the protective proteins in the body that cleans up carcinogens before they can harm the body. Here's a list of cruciferous vegetables: brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy. Since cruciferous vegetables help the body defend itself from carcinogens, eat lots of them.

To really benefit from eating cruciferous vegetables, ate at least five servings each week. You'll be protecting yourself from prostate cancer. If you eat more than five servings a week, so much the better! Not only that, eating all those vegetables will help you to be healthier as well as providing protection from prostate cancer.

If you didn't know the information in this article before, you now have several ways to protect yourself or a loved one from developing prostate cancer.