Prostate Health: Think Cruciferous (Veggies)

By Editorial Staff

Approximately one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, which in terms of statistics, is only slightly less likely than breast cancer diagnoses in women. In other words, prostate cancer is a big deal! Fortunately, protecting the prostate can start with something as simple as eating a healthy diet, particularly vegetables high in cancer-fighting compounds.

Let's clarify. In terms of vegetables, we're talking about the cruciferous variety: broccoli, kale, etc. The compound researchers are so excited about is called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and preliminary studies show it can suppress tumor growth in the prostate. Using a mouse model, researchers from Harvard Medical School  found that I3C may inactivate a protein (WWP1) that weakens a natural tumor suppressor. By inactivating the dangerous protein, I3C essentially paved the way for the tumor suppressor (another protein known as PTEN) to do its job.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, this study reinforces the health-promoting, disease-preventing power of cruciferous and other vegetables. Talk to your doctor for more information about which foods to eat – and which to limit or avoid altogether – as part of a healthy lifestyle.