hard bicycle seats could do you a mischief

simple lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, can limit the risk of prostate disease and infection. Here’s the expert advice . . .

HAVE REGULAR SEX

A STUDY at the University of Montreal found that men who slept with more than 20 women were almost a third less likely to develop prostate disease. Celibacy, however, doubled the risk. One theory is that as the prostate secretes the bulk of the fluid which comprises semen, having sex helps to flush out any cancer-causing chemicals in the prostate.

CYCLE ON A COMFY SEAT

AVOID hard cycle seats, which are thought to put pressure on the prostate.

Cycling can also give a false high PSA reading.

‘Use a well-padded saddle,’ says Dr Robert Calvert, a consultant urologist at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. And Professor Eden adds: ‘If you’re having a PSA test, tell your GP if you’ve been cycling.’

REDUCE STRESS

INCREASED stress could be a cause of prostatitis — inflamma- tion of the gland. It may be caused by urine leaking into ducts around the prostate.

Professor Roger Kirby, of the London Prostate Centre, explains: ‘Like irritable bowel syndrome, prostatitis can be triggered and exacerbated by stress.’

Treatment may include antibiotics and painkillers (see panel on far right).

KNOW YOUR FLOW

URINE flow is a good indicator of problems, such as enlarged prostate (a benign condition) and prostatitis. ‘Men over 50 shouldn’t be getting up more than once a night to go to the loo,’ says Dr Zaki Almallah, a

consultant urologist at the Birmingham Bladder Clinic.

DRINK UP

‘PROSTATITIS can occur when a bacterial infection in the bladder moves to the prostate — drinking, say, 1½ litres of fluid a day helps flush bugs out of the bladder,’ says Professor Christopher Eden, a consultant urologist at the Royal surrey County Hospital, Guildford.

EAT TOMATOES

JUST ten helpings of fresh or cooked tomatoes a week could help reduce the risk of cancer by almost a fifth, says research. A compound in the fruit, lycopene, is thought to offer the protection. And lycopene is more readily absorbed when it’s cooked, says Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association.

LINK TO YOUR MOTHER

‘MANY don’t realise there’s a familial link between prostate cancer and breast cancer,’ says Dr Isabel syndikus, consultant clinical oncologist at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHs Foundation.

That risk is higher if a man has a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 60, or carried the faulty BRCA1 and BRCA 2 genes. If you’re worried, talk to your GP.