Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe SOYMATO SLOW DOWN One of the unfortunate fates of human males is that if they live long enough, they will get prostate cancer. Early detection can improve the quality of life and in fact bring a new lease on just about everything. Advertisement Some scientists are studying and watching closely to see if some significant dietary changes will help them fight prostate cancer. There are two groups in the study: those who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and those whose disease has already metastasized, or spread. It's long been accepted that diet may help prevent prostate cancer, but now the interest is turning toward how diet may improve the outcome of prostate cancer treatment. What's the magic sauce? Soy and tomato products. Soy contains hormone-like substances shown to slow prostate cancer growth in laboratory animals. What's more, Asian men (and you can imagine the diet) have the lowest rates of prostate cancer in the world. American men, well, mainly non-vegetable eating manly men, have 10 to 20 times higher the occurrence of prostate cancer. It's no surprise that when Asian men migrate to North America and adopt western lifestyle and eating habits, their risk for prostate cancer increases. Advertisement As for the tomatoes, they contain a vast array of phytochemicals, or plant-derived compounds. Of special interest is lycopene, a potent antioxidant which is a substance that may help prevent oxidative damage to cellular DNA. The researchers suspect that men eat at least five servings of tomatoes or tomato products each week over the decades it takes for a prostate tumor to develop, they may experience a 30-to-40-percent lower risk of prostate cancer. Kind of makes you long for Italian night with soy-meat sauce, eh? Send your ideas and comments to [email protected]
