Because the cause of prostate cancer is unknown , it is not possible to develop a prevention strategy that can avoid most cases. So much so, that the most significant risk factors, such as age, race and sex (can only be found in men) cannot be controlled.
However, in recent years some studies have begun to shed some light on other aspects to which there is a direct preventive action, although not very clearly. Some of these studies, for example, seem to link overweight and obesity with a slightly higher risk of prostate cancer .
Also the practice of regular physical exercise seems to reduce the chances of suffering from this type of cancer, as well as the presence in the usual diet of certain vegetables: tomatoes, soybeans, cabbage, broccoli, beans and other legumes. These three factors are indicative that a balanced diet, the practice of physical exercise and, as a consequence, avoiding overweight can be a good strategy to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer .
Another study refers to men who take vitamin E vitamin supplements and it follows that an excess of this nutrient may favor a greater risk.
Medicines
What does seem to significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer is the pharmacological treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia – a very common benign pathology – with a 5-alpha reductase enzyme inhibitor, which is responsible for transforming into the The testosterone body in dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the latter being the hormone responsible for the growth of this male gland.
The results of studies in patients treated with these medications suggest that the treatment itself does not have a direct effect on mortality from prostate cancer , although there are significant differences in relation to the type of cancer that develops: men treated with 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors have less low-grade prostate cancer , but somewhat more than medium or high-grade tumors, which are more likely to develop aggressively.