Alternative Health Blog

Amid continuing debates about whether PSA blood tests predict the disease or throw too many false-positives and if older men should undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatments rather than embrace “watchful waiting,” there is a new finding about prostate cancer prevention that suggests the potential for delicious agreement. University of California-San Francisco researchers have found that men who eat darker-meat fish and shellfish have more than a 60 percent reduced risk for aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

Omega-3 fats represent the therapeutic ingredient and it appears that fish such as salmon, tuna, anchovies, herring and mackerel, plus shellfish, have a certain form of the fatty acids. The study, which appeared recently in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, additionally shows that low consumption of such seafood is particularly risky for men with a certain genetic makeup. For any man with aggressive or advanced prostate cancer cases in his family history, it could be vital strategy to include more dark-meat fish and shellfish in their diets.

While the UCSF scientists cautioned more research is needed, they speculated that omega-3 fats work to reduce inflammation, which in turn can disrupt the spread of cancer cells in the body. This study breaks ground by connecting seafood consumption to preventing the more dangerous advanced prostate cancer.

OK, some practical details: The fish consumed by the nearly 500 men in study was mostly salmon, mackerel and bluefish, typically baked or boiled. The men who ate such fish one to three times reduced the risk of aggressive cancer by 36 percent compared to men who ate little or no fish in a month, while men who at the fish at least once per week were even more protected. The once-per-week eaters reduced cancer risk by 43 percent compared to the non-fish eaters.

The findings were similar for shellfish prepared in nonfried fashion. This is an important point; eating a significant portion of your fish in a fried dish appears to neutralize its benefits.  Nobody is saying skip all fish frys—especially during Lent—but that making it a habit will eliminate the positive effect for a man’s prostate gland.

Other foods associated with fighting prostate cancer and documented in studies include broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts, pomegranate juice, turmeric, flaxseed meal, garlic, tomatoes (especially cooked forms), Brazil nuts (just two per day) and scallions (as little as one-tenth of an ounce daily).

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.