Prostate cancer

THE FUTURE: It’s the most common cancer in men over 75. As the gland swells, side effects include incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

FIGHT IT NOW:

 Go nuts A study published in the British Journal of Cancer found that eating approximately 100g of “tree” nuts – Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts – five or more times a week after diagnosis, had a 34 per cent lower risk of overall mortality than those who consumed nuts less than once a month.

It is thought that insulin resistance – cells that are resistant to the hormone insulin – is involved in prostate risk and progression, and the healthy fats in tree nuts have insulin-regulating capabilities.

 Pick plums Research at Texas A&M University in the US found that phytochemicals in red-fleshed plums inhibit prostate tumour cell growth in a laboratory by 80 per cent.

 Pop a pill Research suggests that all men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough. But when Mayo Clinic researchers in the US studied 1400 men for five years, they found that those who took daily nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, were half as likely to develop prostate cancer as those who didn’t take them. The drugs appear to block production of and limit damage from COX-2 enzymes, which promote the growth of cancer cells.