Worried about Prostate Cancer? A Vegan Diet Can Slash Your Risk!
With news that American President Joe Biden is battling an aggressive prostate cancer in the same week that Barnaby Joyce recovers from prostate cancer surgery, many men are, understandably, feeling a little anxious about their health.
As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, and while early diagnosis is crucial, and prostate cancer treatments are improving all the time, reducing your risk of disease is always step one for a long and healthy life.
What is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a gland below the bladder of those assigned male at birth. It produces a component of semen, and its muscles help to control the flow of urine and semen. Prostate cancer occurs when cancer cells develop and grow in this gland.
Prostate cancer is Australia’s most commonly diagnosed cancer. Sometimes called a “silent killer” because most cases progress slowly with few clinical symptoms, prostate cancer is still the second most common cause of death for Australian men.
Age (being over 45), race (it more commonly affects black men), and genetic factors all contribute to prostate cancer risk, but, like all diseases, lifestyle—including diet—plays a considerable role in not only preventing prostate cancer but slowing its progress once a diagnosis is already made.
How a Vegan Diet Helps Prevent Prostate Cancer—And Slow Its Progress
While prostate cancer rates are rising everywhere, there’s evidence to suggest that the globalisation of Western diets and the consumption of animal-derived products like meat, eggs, and dairy play a role.
Research shows that men following an animal-free diet have a 37 per cent lower risk of prostate cancer, compared with other men.
Research also shows that men with early-stage prostate cancer can reduce their risk of advanced prostate cancer by switching to an animal-free diet.
Research from the University of California found that men with the highest intake of animal-free foods have a 47 per cent lower risk of prostate cancer progression compared to those with the lowest intake. This includes a lower risk of disease recurrence, secondary treatments, bone metastases—such as what Joe Biden is facing—and prostate cancer-specific mortality.
That means it’s not too late to change your diet, even if you’re already in treatment!
Vegan Diets Are Good for Whole Body Health
Full of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and low in fat, it’s no surprise that a diet rich in plant-based foods is best for overall health.
Studies confirm that vegan diets come with a lower risk of many illnesses, including heart disease and stroke, other cancers, including colorectal cancers (like bowel cancer), diabetes and obesity, which is another risk factor for prostate cancer.
Emerging research even links plant-based diets to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Piling Plants on Our Plates Helps Everyone
Aside from giving us the best chance to lower our risk of a multitude of diseases, a global shift towards a vegan diet is animals’ only hope of freedom from factory farms and slaughter.
In Australia, every single year, around 700 million land animals and countless sea animals are killed to meet our appetite for flesh. Many of these are confined to filthy factory farms without sunlight or enrichment.
Just as we don’t want to be confined to a hospital bed, being poked and prodded by strangers and fearing a painful end that comes far too soon, animals don’t want to be confined to barns and cages or marched to blood-soaked slaughterhouses when they’re still mere babies.
Adopting a vegan lifestyle is good for us, good for animals, and better for the planet!
Ready to Protect Your Prostate?
Inspired to take control of your prostate health and make a difference not only to your future, but also to the fate of animals and the environment?
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