Contents
A healthy weight
Alcohol and smoking
Food supplements and herbal
remedies
How can I eat more
healthily?
Fruit and vegetables
Which foods might help with my prostate
cancer?
Which foods should I limit in my
diet?
How much physical activity should I
do?
How can diet and physical activity help
with side effects of treatment?
A healthy
weight
Keeping to a healthy weight can help reduce your risk of a
variety of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and
some other cancers. Being overweight or obese has been linked to a
higher risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.
Being a healthy weight may mean that treatments such as surgery and radiotherapy can have
better results. For men who have surgery it may also lower the risk
of problems like blood loss and urinary problems.
Read our online fact
sheet for information on how to work out whether you are a
healthy weight, and how to lose weight.
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Alcohol and smoking
Alcohol
We don't know if alcohol has any specific
effects on men with prostate cancer. But we do know that drinking
too much alcohol can make you put on weight and causes health
problems such as heart disease and some other cancers.
The government advises that men should not regularly drink more
than three to four units of alcohol a day.
Your doctor or nurse can tell you whether alcohol will affect
your prostate cancer treatment. If you have urinary
problems after treatment, try to cut down on alcohol as it
can make the problems worse. You can find out more about managing
how much you drink from NHS Choices.
Smoking
Some research shows that smoking increases the risk of the
cancer growing and of advanced cancer. However, if you stop smoking
your risk may gradually reduce, and after 10 ten years it could be
similar to men who have never smoked. If you smoke there is also a
higher chance of prostate cancer coming back after surgery or
radiotherapy.
Stopping smoking can help to reduce the side effects of
treatment for prostate cancer.
Smoking also puts you at risk of other health problems such as
heart disease and stroke. NHS Choices has more information about
stopping smoking.
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Food supplements and
herbal remedies
Food supplements
There is little evidence to show that supplements are of any
benefit for men with prostate cancer. Taking high doses of some
supplements could even be bad for your health. You should be able
to get all the nutrients you need by eating a balanced diet
instead. If you do choose to take supplements, make sure you don't
take more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for each
nutrient.
Sometimes you may need to take a specific supplement. For
example, if you are on hormone therapy, your doctor might recommend
calcium and vitamin D supplements to keep your bones from
thinning.
Herbal remedies
Some men like to take herbal or complementary medicines to help
manage their prostate cancer or the side effects of treatment.
However, there is very little evidence that herbal remedies are
effective for prostate cancer.
Not all herbal remedies in the UK are licensed, and the quality
varies a lot. Be particularly careful about buying herbal remedies
over the internet. Many companies make claims that are not based on
proper research, and there may be no real evidence that they
work.
Both supplements and herbal remedies can interfere with your
prostate cancer treatment. It's vital that you tell your doctor if
you are taking any supplements, herbal remedy or complementary
therapy - just as you would any normal medicine.
The Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA) provides advice about how to use
herbal remedies safely.
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How can I
eat more healthily?
Food is an important and enjoyable part of everyday life and
it's important to remember this if you decide to make changes to
your diet. Don't worry about the occasional treat, but try to make
sensible choices in your day-to-day life.
Set yourself realistic goals and make changes gradually. Trying
to make too many changes at once may mean that you are less likely
to stick to them. Start by making small changes that you feel
comfortable with, for example eating more fruit and vegetables.
Try to cut down on unhealthy foods, such as those high in sugar
or saturated fat, although there is nothing wrong with the
occasional treat. Check the labels on packaged foods for the
calorie, fat, salt and sugar content.
Ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian for help improving
your diet or if you have any other medical conditions that could be
affected by your diet, such as diabetes.
The picture below shows the main food groups and the proportions
that you should aim to include in your diet.
There is more information about how to improve your diet in our
online fact
sheet.
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Fruit and
vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet and
a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Eating plenty of
fruit and vegetables helps to reduce your risk of heart disease,
some cancers and other medical problems. Aim to eat at least five
portions every day. There is more information available
from NHS Choices.
Fruit and vegetables of different colours contain different
nutrients. Try to eat a variety to increase your intake of vitamins
and minerals.
There is more information about this in our online fact
sheet.
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Which foods might help
with my prostate cancer?
There is some evidence that certain foods may slow down the
growth of prostate cancer or reduce the risk of it returning after
treatment. At the moment this evidence is limited and we need more
research to show clearly how different foods can help.
- Soy and other pulses. Pulses such as, kidney
beans, chickpeas, lentils and soy beans in particular contain plant
chemicals that are thought to be anti-cancerous. Soy foods include
soy milk, tofu, soy yoghurts, soy bread, miso and tempeh.
- Green tea. Green tea may protect against
advanced prostate cancer. For it to have an effect you need to
drink around six cups a day, and brew the tea for 5 minutes to
release the nutrients.
- Tomatoes and lycopene. Tomatoes contain a
plant chemical called lycopene, which may slow down the growth of
prostate cancer. Cooked and processed tomatoes, such as tomato
sauces, soups, purees and pastes, are a better source of lycopene
than fresh tomatoes.
- Selenium. Good sources of selenium include
Brazil nuts, fish, seafood, liver, kidney and poultry. Taking
selenium supplements doesn't appear to have any benefit.
- Cruciferous vegetables. This is a group of
vegetables that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels
sprouts, bok choy, spinach and kale.
- Pomegranate juice. Try drinking a glass of
concentrated pomegranate juice a day.
- Fish and fish oils. Try to eat at least two
portions of fish a week. Include at least one, and up to four,
portions of oily fish a week. Examples of oily fish include salmon,
mackerel, sardines, trout, herring and fresh tuna.
There is more information about all these foods in our
online fact
sheet.
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Which foods should I
limit in my diet?
There is some evidence that certain foods may increase the risk
of prostate cancer growing or advanced prostate cancer. As with
foods which might help, the evidence is limited.
- Dairy products and calcium. Eating very
high levels of calcium or dairy may increase the risk of advanced
prostate cancer. Calcium is important for strong bones and overall
health and you need to include some in your diet.
- Red and processed meat. Eating too much
red and processed meat may raise your risk of aggressive and
advanced prostate cancer. Red meat includes beef, pork or lamb and
processed meat includes ham, bacon, sausages and burgers.
- Well done meat. Meat cooked at very high
temperatures or very well done, such as barbequed or fried meat,
might also increase your risk of advanced cancer, particularly if
it's red or processed meat
- Fat. You need some fat in your diet for
your body to function properly. However, eating too much fat can
make you put on weight which may increase your risk of advanced
prostate cancer.
There is more information about all these foods in our
online fact
sheet.
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How much
physical activity should I do?
Being physically active can improve your physical strength and
fitness, reduce tiredness and improve your quality of life. Even a
small amount will help.
Find an activity you enjoy, take things at your own pace and
don't overdo it. Make sure you rest when you feel you need to.
Aim to be physically active at least two to three times a week.
Start gently for short periods of time, such as 15 minutes. If you
are able to, gradually build up to 30 minutes of moderate exercise
three to five days a week. Your heart should beat faster but you
should still be able to talk - about the level of a brisk walk.
What type of physical activity should I do?
Walking, swimming, cycling and gardening are all good exercise.
You can do simple things such as getting off the bus one stop
earlier, or walking upstairs rather than using the lift. There are
also exercises that you can do from your chair or bed, such as
lifting and stretching your arms and legs.
You should speak to your GP or hospital doctor or nurse before
you start any kind of exercise plan. They can give you advice about
what type of activity is appropriate and safe for you. They may be
able to refer you to an exercise programme or a physiotherapist who
can draw up an exercise programme for your individual needs.
There is more information about physical activity in our
online fact
sheet.
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How can diet and
physical activity help with side effects of treatment?
Hormone therapy in particular can cause a number of side effects
which diet and physical activity may be able to help with. They may
also help to reduce the side effects of some other prostate cancer
treatments. These side effects include:
- Weight gain
- Bone thinning
- Strength and muscle loss
- Hot flushes
- Tiredness
- Anxiety and depression
- Bowel problems
- Urinary problems
- Erection problems
You can read more about these in our online fact
sheet.
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