PROSTATE CANCER: TESTOSTERONE AND DIET

Believe it or not, diet even has an effect on hormones such as testosterone. A diet that’s low in fat and high in fiber lowers the amount of testosterone in the blood, and hormones such as testosterone play a big role in the growth of prostate cancer. One study found blood testosterone levels in young black men to be about 15 percent higher than those of young white men; a similar study found that Dutch men had higher levels of male hormones than Japanese men. Also, studies of American men have found that they have higher levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) metabolites than Japanese men. (DHT is the active form of male hormone in the prostate.) Some investigators interpret this to mean that more DHT may be the cause of the cancer. However, DHT is produced by the secondary organs of reproduction (such as the prostate), and Oriental men tend to have smaller hair follicles and prostates. Which is the cause and which the effect? The lower DHT may simply reflect the fact that Japanese men have inherendy smaller secondary organs of reproduction, which contribute less DHT to the circulation.

Other studies found that black and white American men had higher amounts of these male hormones in their urine than black South African men, and that the level of these hormones had a lot to do with diet. When the black South African men ate a Western diet, instead of their usual vegetarian diet, their hormonal levels went up. And when black American men ate a vegetarian diet, their hormonal levels went down. Again, this seems to be more proof that a low-fat, high-fiber diet can lower any man’s risk of prostate cancer.

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