Prostate Power Nutrients

by Carly Neubert, BA, NC on June 22, 2016

My husband has a history of prostate cancer in his family. This is concerning to both of us. Prostate cancer is very slow growing but can cause uncomfortable symptoms from the onset.

Active Surveillance or Watchful Waiting

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with prostate cancer, you will likely be provided with two suggestions from your doctor. Your doctor may suggest active surveillance or watchful waiting. If your doctor suggests active surveillance, he will usually ask for blood tests and a digital exam every 6 months. The second option, watchful waiting, is a more conservative approach. Your doctor will advise you to get routine check-ups and only seek treatment if side effects or symptoms emerge. This approach saves men from unnecessary treatments and their side effects.

Perhaps there is a third option that doesn't get enough attention.

3rd Suggestion: Maximum Natural Intervention

"After gathering and considering all of the relevant information, my second principle is “maximum natural intervention.” This is a highly proactive approach on the part of the individual, rather than “watch and wait,” which has been the more conventional directive." - Dr. Isaac Eliaz

Perhaps a third and viable option would be "maximum natural intervention" as Dr. Eliaz suggests.

The foundation of a natural intervention is food. Cruciferous vegetables are high in Diindolylmethane (DIM) which supports the liver in detoxifying. When the liver is working well, and not over-burdened with toxins, both men and women have more balanced hormone levels.

There are several plant nutrients, or phytonutrients, which have proven to be successful in supporting prostate health. Here's my list of the best prostate power nutrients you can take to support your prostate health.

Prostate Power Nutrients

Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice or extract has been shown to slow down and stop the growth of prostate cancer. Even better, pomegranate extract has shown the ability to induce apoptosis. That means pomegranate extract can kill cancer cells! Besides the ability to slow, stop, and kill prostate cancer cells, pomegranates have other bio-active compounds that act as strong antioxidants. I recommend taking pomegranate extract in supplement form as opposed to drinking pomegranate juice every day.

Turmeric

Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is that famous bright yellow root. The bio-active component in turmeric is curcumin. A search of PubMed will yield close to 10,000 studies about the powerful healing properties of curcumin. If you aren't familiar with the many benefits of curcumin, read over my blog post: What is turmeric? to learn the basics. In that post I also explain the best form of curcumin to take as a supplement. If you don't want to read through it, I will give you a hint: BCM 95 formulated curcumin has dozens of studies showing that it is the most absorbable form of curcumin that is available in supplement form.

When you are shopping for a curcumin supplement, make sure and buy something that says "BCM-95" on the label. Curcumin is most noted for its anti-inflammatory strength. Therefore curcumin is quite useful for reducing inflammation caused by prostatitis, enlarged prostate, or prostate cancer. Curcumin is definitely a prostate power nutrient.

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Pumpkin seed oil extract has long been hailed as a power nutrient for men. Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are very high in zinc. Every cell in the male and female body needs to have zinc. But in the prostate, cellular zinc levels need to be 15 times higher than other tissues. In fact there are specialized transporter cells that will bring zinc to the prostate from other parts of the body. Healthy zinc levels are connected with preventing and treating prostate cancer. Eating 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds will supply your body with 25% of your daily zinc needs.

Immune boosters are also power nutrients for prostate health. Any supplement or food that boosts your own immunity will help protect the prostate from becoming inflamed, enlarged or cancerous.

Alpha lipoic acid

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a popular immune support supplement. It also has strong antioxidant properties as well. ALA supports your bone marrow in making "natural killer" (NK) cells. These NK cells are responsible for killing bacteria, virus, or cancer cells. So it goes without saying, you want as many NK cells as you can possibly manufacture.

Reishi mushroom

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushroom (ganoderma lucidum) is another immune support supplement. It is a broad spectrum supplement that will keep the immune system functioning properly. So Reishi can help with a common cold or with a life-threatening cancer and everything in between. Reishi modulates the immune system both supporting those cells to work harder or to slow down. This "tuning up or down" action is very useful for both autoimmune conditions and pathological conditions.

Conclusion

Prostate health is an important topic. My advice is to follow Dr. Eliaz's idea of preventing prostate problems and proactively supporting prostate health through diet and supplementing with prostate power nutrients.

For additional recipes, biohacking tips and lifestyle hacks -- check out my other blog on my coaching site www.cleancoachcarly.com! I post weekly about nutrition and lifestyle topics, all backed by science. Happy Reading!