While this study was observational and does not show a direct cause between milk and prostate cancer, other studies have shown there may be a link.

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See also

Colostrum Increases Risk of Prostate Cancer

Eggs may give you Prostate Cancer

Calcium Increases Prostate Cancer Risk in African American Men

Drinking Milk May Cause Prostate Cancer

Calcium supplements

101 Ways to Love Your Prostate

46 Things to Avoid for Prostate Health

Scientists have done many studies over the past few years, uncovering the effects and benefits of saw palmetto, selenium (a mineral and antioxidant), and lycopene (a phytonutrient found in tomato products, guava, and other red fruits and vegetables) on prostate disorders, and BPH in particular.

An Italian team review recently noted that saw palmetto, lycopene, and selenium are “three of the most widely used compounds,” and that all three seem to have one thing in common: they reduce inflammation and proliferation in the prostate gland. Therefore, it seems natural to assume that combining saw palmetto, lycopene, and selenium  could produce better results than one alone in treating BPH.

This latest study tested that idea. Rats were given testosterone for 14 days to induce hormone-dependent BPH. During the following 14 days, the animals were given either saw palmetto alone or a combination of saw palmetto, selenium, and lycopene.

At the end of the treatment period, all the prostates were examined. Although saw palmetto alone reduced the weight and growth of the prostates, the combination of natural compounds was even more effective.  The authors concluded that a saw palmetto, selenium, and lycopene combination is “superior” to saw palmetto alone for BPH.

Read more on:

Saw Palmetto for BPH and Prostatitis

Selenium

Natural Treatments for BPH

Lycopene

Sources:   Altavilla D et al. The combination of serenoa repens, selenium and lycopene is more effective than serenoa repens alone to prevent hormone dependent prostatic growth. J Urol 2011 Oct; 186(4): 1524-29

Magri V et al. Activity of serenoa repens, lycopene and selenium on prostatic disease: evidences and hypotheses. Arch Ital Urol Androl 2008 Jun; 80(2): 65-78

Hormone therapy (also known as androgen ablation therapy) in prostate cancer typically controls tumor growth at first, but eventually the cancer becomes resistant to the therapy partly because complete elimination of the hormones is not achieved.

The study involved one group of control mice and four treatment groups: untreated non-castrated (hormone ablation) mice, castration alone, celecoxib alone, and castration plus celecoxib.  Results of the study showed:

- Hormone therapy combined with celecoxib caused regression of the tumors through decreased angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels, which feed tumors) and increased apoptosis (cell suicide) and arrested mitosis (cell division).

- Celecoxib alone reduced growth of the tumors mainly by causing a disruption in mitosis, which resulted in increased cell suicide
Surgical or hormone therapy prevented tumor growth

The authors concluded that celecoxib “significantly increases the efficacy of androgen withdrawal in vivo and warrants further investigation as a complement therapy for advanced prostate cancer.”

Source:

Abedinpour P et al. Regression of prostate tumors upon combination of hormone ablation therapy and celecoxib in vivo. Prostate 2011 Jun 1; 71(8): 813-23

While a healthy diet is certainly important in the fight against many diseases, adding dietary supplements is not a sure-fire way to prevent problems from occurring.  Most recently, researchers from the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada found that three hopeful contenders in the fight against prostate cancer – vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol), selenium, and soy – were not found to be effective, even after three years of taking them daily.

For the study, Dr. Neil Fleshner MD, FRCSC, MPH, the head of the urology department at UHN, and colleagues randomly assigned 303 men to take either a combination of the three nutrients or a placebo every day.  The experimental group received 40 grams of soy (equivalent to about 1/3 of a cup), 800 IU of vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol) (35 times the recommended dietary levels), and 0.2 grams of selenium (4 times the RDA).

All of the men had a precancerous condition called high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) that placed them at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer.  After three years, twenty-six men out of every 100 developed prostate cancer regardless of whether they took the dietary supplement or the placebo control.

Selenium and vitamin E (principally, as alpha-tocopherol) are two nutrients that were also studied in the large SELECT prevention clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute.  Both are antioxidants which are thought to help control cell damage that can lead to cancer.  Over 35,000 men participated in the study however, the researchers found that selenium, either alone or combined with vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol), did not prevent the development of prostate cancer. The researchers did observe a statistically nonsignificant increased risk of prostate cancer with vitamin E alone and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes with selenium alone. (Lippman 2009) A post-SELECT Trial analysis, however, has suggested that further research is needed to determine whether selenium should still be considered in the fight against prostate cancer. (Ledesma 2010)

“I think in the absence of more compelling scientific data for vitamin E and selenium that we should move on” said Dr. Eric Klein.  Dr. Klein was not involved with the Canadian study, but is the chair of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and headed previous research into the nutrients’ potential affects against prostate cancer.

It should be noted that the studies that have evaluated the potential benefit of vitamin E supplements and health conditions use the form alpha-tocopherol, which is the most common form of the vitamin in both body tissues and dietary supplements.  Emerging research is taking into consideration another form of vitamin E, known as gamma-tocopherol which is the major form of vitamin E found in plant seeds and the diet.  According to a study published in 2001 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, gamma-tocopherol may well be more effective of an antioxidant than alpha-tocopherol and it has been shown that alpha alone, without gamma is not as effective as when higher concentrations of gamma exist in the right ratio.  Researchers are looking into the gamma form for benefits in preventing both prostate cancer and heart disease and the results to date are encouraging.

On the other hand, previous research has shown a beneficial association between soy and prostate cancer.  Genistein is an antioxidant and isoflavone found primarily in soybeans and has been shown in test tube and animal studies to interfere with the growth of prostate cancer cells and help prevent metastasis.  Observational studies note that men in countries such as China in Japan who regularly eat soy products such as tofu and miso have lower rates of prostate cancer incidence, although the type and quantity of soy consumed in those countries is much different than consumed in the West.

Dr. Fleshner notes that the study may not have shown positive benefits because taking the dietary supplements for just three years may not have been enough to prevent HGPIN from progressing to prostate cancer.

Resources:

1.  Original Reports – Urologic Oncology:Progression From High-Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia to Cancer: A Randomized Trial of Combination Vitamin-E, Soy, and Selenium

Neil E. Fleshner, Linda Kapusta, Bryan Donnelly, et al. JCO May 2, 2011:JCO.2010.32.0994; published online on May 2, 2011;

http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2011/04/26/JCO.2010.32.0994

2.  Medical News Today, Prostate Cancer: More Soy In Diet May Protect Against Deadly Disease, accessed May 5, 2011 at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/224373.php

3.  NCHS Data Brief, Number 61, April 2011

Dietary Supplement Use Among U.S. Adults Has Increased Since NHANES III (1988–1994), accessed May 5, 2011 athttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db61.htm

4.  gamma-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet, deserves more attention.  Jiang Q, Christen S, Shigenaga MK, Ames BN.  Source:  University of California, the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, USA.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):714-22.  accessed May 7 at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11722951

5.  Dr. Neil Fleshner’s profile can be found at:

http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=1843

In a new review of the literature, J. Kellogg Parsons, MD, MHS, associate professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, outlined the modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to the development of BPH and LUTS.  These two conditions are often studied together because BPH is the main cause of LUTS.

In the review, Parsons named three factors associated with an increased risk of both BPH and LUTS: obesity, diabetes, and consumption of meat and fat. He noted that most studies have found a relationship between obesity and an increased risk of both BPH and LUTS, including a Norwegian study of 21,700 men (Seim 2005) and the seven-year prospective analysis of 5,700 men who participated in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. (Kristal 2007)

Parsons stated that “disruptions in glucose homeostasis have been strongly and robustly associated with a higher likelihood of prostate enlargement, BPH, and LUTS” in a variety of studies involving tens of thousands of men. Results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial also show that meat and fat consumption are associated with an increased risk of BPH and LUTS. (Kristal 2008)

On the positive side, lifestyle factors found to help reduce the risk of BPH and LUTS include exercise, vegetable intake, and alcohol consumption. Regarding exercise, Parsons noted a 2008 study in which a meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 43,083 men found that moderate to vigorous exercise was associated with up to a 25 percent reduced risk of both BPH and LUTS. (Parsons 2008)

Vegetable consumption can reduce a man’s risk of BPH and LUTS, (Kristal 2008) and benefits are especially good for higher blood levels of carotene and lycopene, which are found in high concentrations in vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, and greens. (Tavani 2005; Rohrmann 2004)

The research findings on alcohol consumption are mixed. While a meta-analysis of 19 studies involving 120,091 men found a 35 percent reduced likelihood of BPH among men who drank moderately daily, the study also found an increased risk of LUTS. (Parsons 2009)

Parsons also reported that research thus far has not reached any definite conclusions about the associations between cholesterol/triglycerides and BPH and LUTS, nor between smoking and both of these conditions.

This review suggests that modifiable lifestyle factors, including exercise, obesity, diabetes, diet, and alcohol consumption have a substantial impact on the development of BPH and LUTS. Parsons thus noted “there is little, if any, downside to promotion of healthy lifestyle interventions—weight loss, exercise, decreasing meat and fat intakes, and increasing vegetable intake—among BPH and LUTS patients.”

Sources

Kristal AR et al. Race/ethnicity, obesity, health related behaviors and the risk of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia: results from the prostate cancer prevention trial. J Urol 2007; 177:1395–1400.

Kristal AR et al. Dietary Patterns, Supplement Use, and the Risk of Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Am J Epidemiol 2008; 167:925–34.

Parsons JK. Lifestyle factors, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and lower urinary tract symptoms. Curr Opin Urol 2011; 21:1-4

Parsons JK, Im R. Alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 2009; 182:1463–68.

Parsons JK, Kashefi C. Physical activity, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and lower urinary tract symptoms. Eur Urol 2008; 53:1228–35.

Rohrmann S et al. Association between serum concentrations of micronutrients and lower urinary tract symptoms in older men in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Urology 2004; 64:504–9.

Seim A et al.  The prevalence and correlates of urinary tract symptoms in Norwegian men: the HUNT study. BJU Int 2005; 96:88– 92.

Tavani A et al. Intake of selected micronutrients and the risk of surgically treated benign prostatic hyperplasia: A Case–Control Study from Italy. Eur Urol 2005. http://www.sciencedirect.com/ and http://www.europeanurology.com/.

He was introduced to Dr. Eliaz who found that an old injury in Vietnam was the missing piece that needed to be addressed. Read more

“It’s a really sad thing about selenium,” concedes Dr Helen Rippon, head of research management at the UK Prostate Cancer Charity (www.prostate-cancer.org.uk). “All the initial laboratory data seemed to suggest it could be particularly useful in combating prostate cancer, but when it came down to the really big human-based trials it just didn’t cut it.” READ MORE

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that leads to tremors and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination.  It most often develops after age 50 and equally affects both men and women.  Parkinson’s occurs when the nerve cells in the brain that make dopamine are slowly destroyed, causing a disruption of messages between the cells.  There is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease; the goal of treatment is to control symptoms as long as possible.

Because neurodegenerative disorders may share some common disease-causing mechanisms with some cancers, Dr. Stefan M. Pulst MD, a professor and chair of the department of neurology at the University of Utah, used the Utah Population Database to explore the association.  The UPDB contains data on birth, death and family relationships for over 2.2 million individuals going back over 15 generations.  It is also linked with the Utah Cancer Registry.

The study team screened the database to identify nearly 3000 individuals with at least three generations of data who had Parkinson’s disease listed as the cause of death.  The researchers found that the risk of prostate cancer and melanoma within the population was significantly higher than expected.  They also observed that the risk for prostate cancer extended to first, second, and third degree relatives.

To validate the findings, the researchers also worked in reverse.  They identified individuals who were diagnosed with either melanoma or prostate cancer and found that they were also at a significantly increased risk for death with Parkinson’s disease.

Previous research into the connection between melanoma and Parkinson’s disease suggest a possible genetic link, as first-degree relatives tend to also be at higher risk.  However, the studies are noted to be limited in that the relatives often shared similar surroundings, raising the question about environmental risk factors as well.

Dr. Susan Bressman, chair of the department of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (not involved with the University of Utah study) notes that the association between Parkinson’s and melanoma may have roots in the treatments given to PD patients.  L-DOPA has a role in melanin production and giving pro-dopaminergic drugs would increase the risk for skin cancer.

“Our findings point to the existence of underlying pathophysiologic changes that are common to PD, prostate cancer, and melanoma,” says Lisa Cannon-Albright PhD, co-author of the study and a professor of internal medicine. “Exploring the precise genetic links among these diseases could improve our understanding of PD and influence strategies for prostate and skin cancer screening.”

These findings of this study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2011 Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI from April 7 through April 16.

Resources:

University of Utah Health Care

PubMed Health, National Institutes of Health

PD Online Research (Michael J. Fox Foundation)

A rapidly rising PSA (prostate specific antigen) level does not automatically mean men need to undergo a prostate biopsy, nor is it a good predictor of prostate cancer. These are the findings of a new study conducted by investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Read more about PSA levels and unnecessary prostate biopsies