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Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer
While researchers
still do not know the exact answer to this question, they have identified some
risk factors.
- Age
As you grow
older, your chance of having a diagnosis of prostate cancer increases.
In fact, we believe that one of the reasons that prostate cancer is now
so much more common than it was 50 years ago is very obvious: more men
live longer today than they did 50 years ago. If you live longer, your
chance of having a diagnosis of prostate cancer goes up proportionally.
There are
some studies, based on post mortem findings, estimating that all men
would have prostate cancer if they all lived to over a hundred.
The average age of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in America is
still over 60 years (although diagnosis in younger men is much more
common than it used to be). And the range of ages is very wide. Cases of
prostate cancer have first been seen in men in their twenties and in men
in their nineties.
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- Family History
Generally speaking, men with a father or brother diagnosed with prostate cancer at a relatively young age
are at a greater risk of getting the disease themselves, compared to the average man. Having an elderly
relative with prostate cancer is not uncommon and doesn't increase risk.
The risk appears to be higher if you have a brother with prostate cancer than it is if you have a father
with prostate cancer. The risk is higher still if you have more than one relative diagnosed with prostate
cancer.
It is important to remember that statistics are always a generalization. There are likely to be
specific factors at work for some men, which increase their risk. Others not affected by these factors
may not have an increased risk, despite having a relative with prostate cancer.
The reason risk is greater if your family member was young when diagnosed or if you have several relatives
with prostate cancer is that these are signs that there could be a faulty gene running in the family.
The younger the age at diagnosis, the more likely it is that a faulty gene is at work. Remember - for
there to be a gene at work, the affected relatives have to come from the same side of your family (your mother's
side or your father's side). There is no gene test because specific faulty genes for prostate cancer
haven't been clearly identified yet.
Families that carry the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 also have an increased risk of prostate cancer.
We now know that men who carry the BRCA1 gene have almost twice the risk of getting prostate cancer before the
age of 65, when compared with the average man under 65. This sounds dramatic, but the risk of prostate
cancer under 65 years is relatively low. Once you are over 65, the risk of prostate cancer is the same as
any man over 65.
For the BRCA2 gene, the risks are higher. If you carry this gene, you have 7 times the risk of getting prostate
cancer before you are 65, when compared with the average man under 65. Once you are over 65, you have
4.5 times the risk of prostate cancer if you carry this gene, when compared to the average man over 65.
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Race
Prostate cancer is much more common in some races than in others. For
example, Japanese men living in Japan have an extremely low incidence of
prostate cancer. By comparison African American men are at very high
risk of this disease. The death
rate for prostate cancer is more than 2 times higher in African-American
men than in Caucasian/Asian men. Why is this?
We don't know. What we do know is that it isn't just about their
genetics and heritage, because men of Japanese origin living in America
have a similar risk of prostate cancer as any other average American man
living in the same area! However, race can be an important factor in
determining when a man should have a
prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
blood test and
digital rectal exam (DRE)
once every year
for signs of prostate cancer.
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- Environment
The cleaner
your environment the less likely you are to be at risk of prostate
cancer. Many different environmental factors have been considered as
possible contributers to prostate cancer, which include:
CADMIUM
Cadmium is listed in the FEDERAL REPORT ON CARCINOGENS as a ‘known
carcinogen’. Researchers at Georgetown University found that Cadmium
mimics estrogen, in fact they state ‘cadmiums ability to functionally
mimic estrogen is quite remarkable’. The study shows that cadmium has
estrogenic effects on humans and animals alike. Researchers at the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that
cadmium disturbs a DNA repair system that is important in preventing
cancer. If the cells DNA are damaged by free radicals, for example, the
cell would be unable to repair the damage and an error would be made
when the cell replicated itself and a mutated cell would take the place
of the once normal cell. What we have shown said Dr. Gordonin, one of
the lead researchers on the study, is that environmental factors such as
cadmium can cause high levels of mutations not only by damaging DNA but
also by inhibiting DNA repair. With relatively little exposure to
cadmium, a living cell may increase its rate of mutation drastically- as
much as 2,000 fold. Another troubling finding of the research is that
cadmium also inhibits a gene which the cell uses to suppress a cancer
cell; this is known as gene suppressor p-53. When this occurs a mutant
cell is allowed to grow.
We are all exposed to
cadmium, as 15,000 tons of it is produced every year. It is commonly
used in batteries, fertilizer, paint pigments and as late as 1997 as a
fungicide for grass. It is still used today as a deicer. Cadmium is also
found naturally occurring in the soil but it is in cigarette smoke and
industrial waste that we are most affected by it. It is in our food and
water supply and once we ingest it, it will take 20 years for just half
of it to dissipate and we are continually being contaminated. When you
consider the tens of thousands of chemicals that are in our environment,
it is no wonder that cancer rates are skyrocketing. What have you really
accomplished by removing one cancer and leaving the cause of the cancer
in your body. Apple pectin, calcium, magnesium, selenium, chlorophyll
and EDTA chelation therapy have all been shown to be effective chelators
of cadmium, lead, nickel and petro chemicals from the body. In addition
Nutrition 2000 has a homeopathic product called Metalmint which is an
excellent chelator of metals.
PCB'S (Chemicals)
The EPA reports that there is no pure body of water in the North
American continent! It is all contaminated with man made chemicals, even
glaciers and aquifers deep in the ground. We are being poisoned as we
speak. The air we breathe is the same air that was in some third world
country or passing over some industrial smoke stack yesterday. When it
rains, the pollution it has absorbed is deposited into the surface and
ground water. When we drink any unfiltered water, the chemicals that has
been absorbed, accumulate in our bodies and at some point impact our
health. Water is the natural solvent, it will absorb anything it comes
into contact with, take water and tea leaves and what do you have? How
about coffee, Clorox or gasoline? The only way to get clean water is to
filter or distill it. One chemical that is particular worrisome is
PCB’s. Research reveals that pcb’s will significantly inhibit
testosterone. To make matters worse they too act as xenoestrogens and
will bind with the hormone receptor sites on the prostate and in the
tissues of the testicles. In fact, research reveals that in some cases
testosterone is displaced by pcb’s in over 50% of the available binding
sites in the bodies of some men. Another aspect of chemicals is the
impact they have on our immune system. Glutathione levels are impacted
adversely as just one example, cancer will not grow in the presence of
glutathione. Belgian researchers found men who spray pesticides are at
higher risk of developing prostate cancer and research by U.S.
Government reports that men exposed to agricultural chemicals such as
chlorinated pesticides and methyl bromide were at greater risk as well.
We all have exposure and much of it accumulates in our body until it
reaches levels which trigger a reaction. It is therefore imperative that
we avoid and cleanse ourselves periodically to lessen and at least
minimize their impact on us. The liver is the primary detoxification
organ of chemicals, Milk thistle will protect the liver from these
chemicals so that it (liver) can render these carcinogens harmless ship
them out to the colon for export.
MERCURY
Exposure to mercury is one of the most toxic substances you can be
contaminated with. It has horrendous effects in the entire body, but it
has a special affinity for the nervous system. Mercury has been linked
to dementia, depression memory loss and the inability to make a decision
to name but a few of its effects on our cognition. Many researchers
believe the problem of mercury to be so pervasive that everyone is at
risk. As it relates specifically to the prostate, according Dr. William
G. Drew, “it (mercury) is involved in almost all problems related to the
prostate gland”. He goes on to say that it is the leading cause of
impotence in men. If you have amalgam fillings, you have toxic exposure
to mercury. For years the medical community has supported the use of
amalgams as safe, but in light of overwhelming evidence to the contrary,
many are now realizing the harm that has been done. A Swedish study
published in EPIDEMOLOGY 11-2000, showed that people with amalgams, who
chewed gum had twice the amount of mercury in the blood as those who
also had amalgams but didn’t chew gum. It is imperative to rid the body
of mercury. This can be accomplished thru an oral chealation program.
Two primary sources for accomplishing this are Chlorella selenium, mega
doses of vitamin C and Nutrition 2000’s Metalmint. This may explain in
part why you are 63% less likely to develop prostate cancer if you
supplement with selenium.
VIRAL INFECTION
Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that there is
at least a contributing role played by virus in the formation of
prostate cancer. One virus that shows up in a very high percentage of
men with prostate cancer is the virus called BK. Researchers have
theorized that Bk may infect a healthy prostate cell and then it will
produce an antigen called Tag. This antigen it is believed contributes
to uncontrolled growth in what was a normal cell. Another study,
conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, reported that the Herpesvirus
8 (hhv-8) was found at much higher levels in men who had prostate cancer
than those who don’t.
FUNGAL INFECTION
In her book THE CURE FOR ALL CANCERS, Dr. Hulda
Clark, Ph.D., N.D., makes the argument that a combination of chemical
solvents such as propyl alcohol and alfatoxin B mold are primary growth
factors for cancer. That by eliminating these you can stop the growth of
cancer. Foods that you should avoid are beer, peanuts, over ripe fruits,
fruit juices and bulk grains (foods from grains such as cereal, flour
and corn meal). She also points out the need to kill off fungal
overgrowth in the gut. A byproduct of the Penicillim mold is a mycotoxin
called patulin, it has been shown that patulin will inhibit the body’s
Tumor Necrosis Factor(TNF). TNF is an immune response to a mutant cell
and is usually quite adequate to eliminate a cell before it develops
into a tumor. The Parathyroid gland will normally make TNF, but not in
the presence of patulin. Apple juice has been tested to have 1 PPM of
this known carcinogen. If you have or want to avoid cancer, you must
produce TNF and to do this you must eliminate toxins and chemical
solvents. In another book written by Ronald Gdanski, CANCER - CAUSE,
CURE and COVER-UP, he postulates that cancer is the result of an injury
to the body in the presence of fungus. The fungus triggers a growth
response to this area, which results in cancer as the body tries to
repair the injury.. We would refer you to these books and especially the
work of Dr. Clark. Candida yeast infections are very toxic, there are 79
known toxins which are released as a byproduct of Candida’s metabolism,
this is analogous to eating a poisonous mushroom for lunch each day.
These toxins impact the immune system and overwhelm the liver. In
addition to the toxins, the metabolic waste is very acidic and this
effects your PH.
OXYGEN LEVELS
Dr.
Otto Warberg, two time Nobel Prize Winner with his work showing the
connection of oxygen and cancer, postulated that as oxygen levels drop
below a certain point, normal cells would adapt to this environment by
becoming cancerous. If oxygen levels are normal it will encourage normal
cell growth. Normal cells utilize oxygen combined with ATP (cell fuel)
to create energy while a cancerous cell will use fermented sugar as its
energy source. It would therefore make a great deal of sense to foster
the right environment for normal cell growth. There are several ways to
accomplish this, first would be to bring up the alkalinity of the
tissues. By raising the PH .1, you multiply the available oxygen by a
factor of 10. Dr.Warberg took normal cells and kept them healthy until
he reduced the oxygen. Once the oxygen levels were reduced, the cells
would mutate into cancerous cells, they would grow until he added the
oxygen back, they would then die or revert back into normal cells. His
research led to the findings that cancer will go into remission when the
body PH gets to 7.4 and cancer cells will die at a PH of 8.4. This level
of PH is not anything you would want to maintain, but normal cells will
tolerate this PH long enough for the cancer cells to die. In his book
“THE PROSTATE MIRACLE”, Dr Jesse Stoff stated that research shows that
when cancer cells are put in a medium with energy rich ATP (cell fuel),
the cancer cells will revert back to normal. For ATP to be utilized by
the cells mitochondria, the body produces Co enzyme Q10 as a cofactor
for ATP. In the presence of ATP plus CoQ10 and ample oxygen, the cells
can produce energy. The body has pathways to convert fat, carbohydrates
and protein into ATP from the food we eat or the fat we have stored.
CoQ10 like many enzymes, has a tendency to drop off as we age, this
makes supplementing necessary. Without exercise and or deep breathing,
especially in an acid body, oxygen levels are likely to be deficient. If
either one of the components (ATP, CoQ 10 enzyme, or oxygen) are missing
then no energy can be produced. The B vitamins and especially b-12 and
niacin are necessary for energy production as well. A cancerous cell
utilizes sugar as its energy source instead of the fuel we just
described, this may help explain why the body allows cancer to develop.
Diet and exercise are two primary factors in raising the PH and
supplying enough oxygen. Supplementing with alkalizing minerals such as
calcium, magnesium and potassium and/or getting them thru your diet
help’s to alkalize you, avoiding foods such as soft drinks and sugar,
which are acid forming are as important as getting alkalizing nutrients.
The right kind of salt is another factor to consider, as it will not
only alkalize but provide the proper salinity. Part of Nutrition 2000’s
program is a strong effort to bring your body into the proper PH.
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Diet
There is a lot of talk about diet and prostate cancer risk. But we all
eat such a variety of different things that any association between diet
and illness is very difficult to prove. Two new studies, both in the
February 2004 Journal of Clinical Oncology, examine this
relationship between obesity and prostate cancer recurrence.
A very large Europe wide research study is looking
into diet and several different types of cancer, including prostate
cancer. Thousands of people are taking part and recording what they eat
and drink. The researchers will follow their progress for more than 10
years and see who gets what.
Experiments at the University of Virginia Cancer Center have shown that arachidonic acid, an
omega-6 fatty acid mainly found in meat and animal products, stimulates the
growth of prostate cancer cells through the production of a metabolite, 5-HETE
(5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid). The researchers found that 5-HETE is essential
for the survival of prostate cancer cells and that these cells are completely
eradicated (in vitro) in a few hours by blocking the
production of 5-HETE. They conclude that a high intake of dietary fats
accelerates the progression of prostate cancer and that arachidonic acid is
intimately involved in this process. They also suggest that drugs which inhibit
the formation of 5-HETE may prove useful in the battle against prostate cancer.
As with many other cancers, diets high in animal fat and
low in fresh fruit and vegetables may increase prostate cancer risk. Tomatoes and
tomato products in particular may help protect against prostate cancer.
Tomatoes contain something called 'lycopene'. This is a carotenoid,
meaning that it is similar to vitamin A. Lycopene has now been
associated with blood levels of a chemical called IGF-1 and prostate cancer risk.(Click here for more information about
diet).
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IGF-1 or Insulin like Growth Factor
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a potent
stimulator of prostate cancer cell growth. It is mostly found in the blood bound
to its carrier, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). Only the unbound form of IGF-1
has a cancer promoting effect.
A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of
California has just completed a major study aimed at determining if IGF-1
and IGFBP-3 levels can predict the risk of developing advanced stage
prostate cancer. Their study involved 530 patients with prostate cancer and
534 controls matched for sex and smoking status. All participants were part
of the Physicians' Health Study and were between the ages of 40 and 84 years
at enrollment in 1982. Almost 15,000 of the men provided blood samples that
were stored for future analysis. By the end of 1995, 786 cases of prostate
cancer had been diagnosed among the 14,916 participants (5.2%). Sufficient
blood plasma for IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 analysis was available for 530 of the
cases and their matched 534 controls. The diagnosis of prostate cancer was
made an average of 9 years after the drawing of the blood samples.
The researchers observed a strong association between IGF-1 and IGFBP-3
levels and the risk of advanced prostate cancer, but found no association
with early stage disease. They found that men with IGF levels in the highest
quartile had a 5.1 times higher risk of later developing advanced stage
prostate cancer than did men in the lowest quartile. Men with IGFBP-3 levels
in the highest quartile, on the other hand, had a 5 times lower risk of
later advanced stage cancer (OR=0.2). Advanced stage prostate cancer was
defined as stage C (extraprostatic, but no evidence of distant metastases)
or stage D (distant metastatic or fatal). About 10% of the total 530 cases
were stage D. The researchers speculate that IGF- 1 not only stimulates
tumour initiation and growth, but may also facilitate invasion and
metastases. They conclude that measurement of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels may
predict the risk of advanced stage prostate cancer years before the cancer
is actually diagnosed and may thus be helpful in aiding decision making
about treatment.
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Hormones
TESTOSTERONE/ESTROGREN
Study after study has found a correlation between these two hormones to be a telling indicator of overall health in men, but especially indicative for prostate disease and cancer. As men age testosterone levels fall, this is caused by 5-alpha reductase and aromatase enzymes in part. Aromatase acts on testosterone to metabolize it into estrogen. A potent form of estrogen, called estradiol is one of the primary estrogens that is produced and it increases as men age. Estrogen is also produced by fat cells, it is ironic that estrogen is known to cause the body to store fat and then the fat makes more estrogen. One study reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology stated that obese men were at greater risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer and that they were more likely to have a recurance. A problem faced by men today as never before, is that chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, household chemicals and even plastic is absorbed into the body and once there it mimics estradol. These are known as xenoestrogen’s and are proven carcinogens. The last source of estrogen we want to discuss is that which we receive by way of milk and meat. Farmers are giving livestock large amounts of estrogen as growth hormone to increase milk and meat production. Their residue’s are absorbed into our bodies when we consume them. This explains in part the correlation of both milk and meat consumption to prostate cancer. It is the dominance of estrogen which accumulates in a man’s body from estrogen via the breakdown of testosterone, production of estrogen by the fat cells, the effects of man made chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium and the hormones we ingest via milk and meat, which act on the body as estrogen. This accumulation causes a shift from testosterone dominance in the body to estrogen dominance which causes much of the prostate issues and lack of virility in men today. A case in point is sperm counts; they are down in the average man by 25% compared to men 50 years ago. The protocol utilized by Nutrition 2000 balances testosterone and estrogen to bring men back into a normal hormonal level.
DHT(dihydrotestesterone)
This is testosterone that has been acted upon by an enzyme called 5-alpha
reductase. DHT is a very powerful stimulant of prostate cell growth, in fact
DHT is up to ten times more powerful than testosterone. Another effect of
DHT is male pattern balding. A study reported in the journal Cancer
Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention found men with male pattern balding had
a 50% higher risk of developing prostate cancer and that men 60 to 69 had
almost three times the risk of high-grade cancer. Many herbs can act to
block 5-alpha reductase; saw palmetto is one of the best. UC Berkley
researchers found DIM, a chemical found in cruciferous vegetables, inhibits
the action of DHT and cancer cells treated with DIM grew 70% less than
untreated cancer cells. Pharmaceutical companies have tried to formulate a
chemical to do this, finastride is one example. Test shows that saw palmetto
is more effective and has no harmful side effects. Yet another enzyme that
causes DHT is prolactin. This rises in times of stress, alcohol consumption
and aging. Researchers at Georgetown were able to kill cancer cells by
blocking the signaling mechanism for prolactin, this is a protein called
Stat5. Melatonin has been shown to inhibit prolactin, although it is
produced as we sleep, it is a good idea to supplement with melatonin.
According to research done at USC, their conclusions about DHT were that it
is the strongest evidence we have relating PC to testosterone. Doctors have
resorted to castration in an attempt to control testosterone, when the
evidence points to DHT and not testosterone as a causal factor in prostate
cancer. Research from the National Cancer Institute, ITT Research Institute
and NYU School of Medicine, all show that DHEA (a precursor for
testosterone) may actually be used to fight prostate cancer. Nutrition 2000
prostate cancer protocol inhibits DHT.
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Vasectomy
One question
that crops up over and over again is whether having a vasectomy (the
procedure that stops a man from making a woman pregnant) can lead to a
later diagnosis of prostate cancer.
First of all, it has to be said that men who have vasectomies do
appear to be more likely to have a diagnosis of prostate cancer 20 years
later than men who do not have vasectomies. However, it also has
to be said that there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of a cause
and effect relationship. Indeed, there is good reason to believe that
this is a statistical coincidence that has to do with the attitudes to
health of men most likely to have vasectomies.
Basically, men who have vasectomies exhibit what is widely described as
"health-seeking" behavior. In other words, they are the type of men who
look after their health, tend to go for regular check-ups, and generally
have a lifestyle which could be considered as "healthy." They are
presumed to be more likely to have vasectomies because they have
considered that the risks associated with a vasectomy are far lower than
the risks associated with their wife/partner having a late or unwanted
pregnancy.
Now it is also reasonable to suppose that men who exhibit health-seeking
behavior are more likely to seek regular prostate examinations as part
of that behavior. This immediately implies that the same men who seek
vasectomies are more likely to have a prostate examination than the men
who do not have vasectomies. Therefore these men are more likely to be
diagnosed with prostate cancer!
The bottom line is that men who have vasectomies are somewhere between
1.5 and 2.0 times more likely to have a later diagnosis of prostate
cancer than men who have not had a vasectomy ... but that we have no
reason to believe that there is any connection between the two.
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