1- Feeding The Prostate;
2- Protecting the Male Prostate;
3- Green Tea And Prostate Health;
4- Green Tea May Prevent Prostate Cancer;
1- Feeding The Prostate :
Ideally, people would get all the nutrients and vitamins they need from food. Unfortunately many people start with a nutrient deficit because our food- products are designed to produce good-looking items that don’t spoil on the way to the consumer instead of nutrient-packed, healthful foods. That’s why most people must turn to supplements. Liquid and natural supplements are much easier for our bodies to process, and are more easily absorbed.
Supplements that specifically benefit the prostate include zinc, kelp, nettles, green teas, pygeum, saw palmetto, and avena sativa.
Zinc: This mineral is a major component of ejaculate. Zinc strengthens the immune system, is vital for strong bones and reproduction, and regulates both sugar and blood cholesterol. Kelp: A seaweed rich in minerals and iodine that help to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Nettles: Contain iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients that can strengthen the prostate. It can be taken in a variety of forms.
Green tea: Catechins found in green tea may help the prostate, although it is not yet proven. Pygeum: This herb has been used to treat diseases of the prostate and urinary tract in Europe for many years. It has been shown to shrink enlarged prostates in many studies. Saw palmetto: This herb is believed to shrink enlarged prostates and to lower PSA. Avena sativa: Rich in calcium mucin and silicic acid, avena sativa tones the nervous system Dietary recommendations for the prostate are to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils) and fresh fish.
Fish contains essential fatty acids the body uses to produce prostaglandins, which keep the immune system strong. Eat whole grain in moderation, rather than refined, and choose organically grown foods whenever it’s possible. Avoid fatty meats, since high-fat diets have been linked to prostate cancer, other cancers, heart disease, and numerous other medical problems. Stay away from refined sugars, salt, hydrogenated oils, canned, packaged, or otherwise processed foods.
Skip sodas, alcohol, black teas, and coffee. Stop consumption of dairy foods, since these products is closely linked in the US to prostate cancer. Lastly, reduce stress, particularly chronic stress, since it is especially hard on the prostate. Stress can restrict the flow of blood and energy. This stress related damage sets the stage for enlargement of the prostate and possibly cancer. General lifestyle also contributes to the health of the prostate. Exercise promotes circulation and relieves tension in the body, which enhances the odds of a healthy prostate.
2- Protecting the Male Prostate :
The prostate gland is an important part of the male reproductive system. The prostate creates a fluid that mixes with sperm and other fluids during ejaculation. These fluids nourish and transport sperm during the process of semen ejaculation during sexual excitement. A normal prostate gland is around the size of a walnut.
Prostate Enlargement is common as a man ages and matures. Medical doctors call this condition of enlarged prostate BPH or "benign prostatic hyperplasia". As the prostate enlarges, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding, causing the prostate gland to press inward against the urethra and restricting the flow, narrowing the space for urine to pass. The bladder wall also becomes thicker and irritable.
The bladder starts to contract even when it contains even small amounts of urine, causing more frequent urination by the male. Eventually, the bladder weakens and loses the ability to completely empty itself and urine remains in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and partial emptying of the bladder cause a large number of the problems associated with an enlarged prostate. A doctor can determine an enlarged prostate during the dreaded finger prostate exam.
The symptoms of an enlarged prostate can vary, but the most common ones involve changes or problems with urination, such as a hesitant, interrupted, weak stream, urgency and leaking or dribbling, more frequent urination, especially at night. This is often called nocturia. Men who have symptoms of prostate obstruction are much more likely to develop chronic kidney disease. These are troubling and dangerous problems if not found and corrected in time.
Enlarged prostate treatments vary. Numerous effective pharmaceutical drugs are available to improve symptoms of prostate enlargement. There are also effective natural therapies including the use of time-tested herbal products. Some commonly used herbs for enlarged prostate gland include rye pollen, stinging nettle, saw palmetto, and pygeum, Plant extracts that have also been investigated include beta sitosterol, quercetin, rosaminic acid, genistein, daidzein and lycopene. In addition to herbs and mainstream medications, there is also some basic, common sense, behavioral changes that can help combat prostate symptoms. Among these changes are reducing fluid intake, limiting or ending alcohol and caffeine consumption, especially in the evening, and not passing up a chance to use the bathroom, even when your bladder doesn't feel full. These simple steps can help reduce the impact of an enlarged prostate on a man’s life.
3- Green Tea And Prostate Health :
New research suggests that green tea may help prevent the spread of prostate cancer. Specifically phytochemicals in green tea, called polyphenols attack growth factors and proteins, interrupting growth processes of tumors, thus preventing them from spreading to other organs. Since earlier studies suggests that the same natural plant substances might also help prevent the start of prostate cancer, researchers indicate that more studies are needed on green tea’s affect on fighting this common cancer. The best way to reduce your risk of prostate cancer still lies in eating a mostly vegetarian diet.
Studies on diet and cancer also show that green tea when tested with mice with an aggressive form of cancer can decrease the spread or metastasis of prostate cancer to liver, bone, and other parts of the body. Additional study of green tea may help develop a treatment to prevent the dormant, non threatening type of prostate cancer many men have in their 70’s & 80’s from becoming aggressive and fatal. Around six cups of green tea per day would contain the equivalent amount of polyphenols for individuals to help block the spread of cancer. Other data shows that the phytochemicals in green tea could inhibit the early phases of prostate cancer development.
The phytochemicals seem to increase the number of enzymes that help convert carcinogens to dormant, harmless forms. Many questions remain about the amount and frequency of green tea necessary to affect the formation of prostate cancer. Black tea has shown similar benefits to green tea, although they appear to have lower levels of the beneficial substances than green tea. Whatever the benefits of green tea, it would be a mistake to rely on tea alone for prevention.
Studies suggest a variety of nutritional influences on prostate cancer risk. The use of Vitamin E may offer some protection. The antioxidant mineral selenium also seems protective. Most Americans get adequate amounts of selenium, but these studies used nutrition supplements, so the study participants achieved higher intake levels. It waits to be seen whether men can protect themselves by taking supplements, including multivitamins, with selenium. If total selenium intake exceeds 400 mcg per day, nerve damage and other side effects can occur in the individual.
Other good foods for natural nutrition are blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, flaxseed, soybeans, and tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes are actually a far better source than raw tomatoes because the cooking process releases the lycopene from cells.
3- Green Tea May Prevent Prostate Cancer :
ANAHEIM, Calif.--After one year taking green tea catechins (GTCs), only one in a group of 32 men at high risk of developing prostate cancer were diagnosed with the disease, compared to nine out of 30 in a control group. Italian researchers found epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in GTCs targeted prostate cancer cells for death, without damaging benign controls. The results were reported at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, Calif.
Italian researchers from the University of Parma, University of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Saverio
Bettuzzi found Clusterin, a gene involved in prostate apoptosis, a possible mediator of catechins' action. "EGCG induced death in cancer cells, not normal cells, inducing Clusterin expression," said Bettuzzi. The research subjects were aged 45 to 75 with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia--malignant lesions that are prostate cancer precursors--for which no treatment had been given, and who were not consuming green tea, tea-derived products or antioxidants, or following anti-androgenic therapy. Intervention subjects received 200 mg of GTCs (50 percent EGCG). The 30 percent incidence rate of prostate cancer in the control group was consistent with previous findings, as was the absence of significant side effects or adverse reactions among the treated group.
1- Potential effects of tea on health
The health benefits of tea have been touted for infusions made from the plant Camellia sinensis for over 4700 years; ever since its discovery was attributed to the legendary emperor, Shennong. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing claimed its taste and stimulative properties were useful for treating tumors, abscesses, bladder ailments, lethargy, among other conditions.Read More...
2- Milk wrecks the health benefits of tea
Those looking for an antidote to holiday overindulgence may have added “drink more tea” to their lists of New Year’s resolutions, given past studies linking the drink to health benefits. But new research indicates this could all be in vain if you add a splash of milk. New Scientist article, 9 January 2007.
3- Green tea
Information from the University of Maryland Medical Center. Under the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "Consumer Health for Better Nutrition Initiative," the Agency is announcing the results of a review of qualified health claims that green tea may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Based on a systematic evaluation of the available scientific data, the FDA intends to consider exercising its enforcement discretion for the following qualified health claims for breast and prostate cancer.
4- Some evidence for the benefits of green tea for endurance in exercise.
Green tea extract boosts exercise endurance 8-24%, utilizing fat as energy source. Swimming endurance improvement comes from equivalent of four cups of tea a day over 10 weeks.
5- Tea and Cancer Prevention
Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers now are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in the antioxidants-called catechins-found in tea. Despite promising early research in the laboratory, however, studies involving humans so far have been inconclusive. National Cancer Institute press release
6- Antioxidant in Green Tea
May Fight Alzheimer's, (EGCG). An antioxidant found in green tea may protect the brain and fight the memory-robbing effects seen with plaque deposits in Alzheimer's disease. A new study shows high doses of the green tea ingredient -- known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) -- significantly reduced the formation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brains of mice that were altered to develop Alzheimer's disease. An abnormal buildup of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain is implicated in the nerve damage and memory loss seen in Alzheimer's disease.
7- Drinking Tea May Boost Immune System
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that drinking certain types of tea containing high concentrations of an amino acid called L-theanine may help strengthen the body’s immune system response when fighting off infection. (Press release of Brigham and Women's Hospital, 21 April 2003).
8- Tea "healthier" drink than water
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers. The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health. BBC article, 24 August 2006
9- Green tea might prolong life and help skin damaged from radiation therapy
(CBS) New studies have found that green tea is good for the skin and may even contribute to a longer life. The Early Show medical contributor Dr. Emily Senay the latest research adds to the growing body of evidence that green tea is good for you. She said a German study found that green tea extracts could help people with skin damaged from radiation therapy. "So they actually took some green tea and black tea," Dr. Senay told co-anchor Hannah Storm. "They used hot water, obviously. Took out extract, filtered it and applied it to the skin for about 10 minutes at a time, three times a day, green tea and black tea."
10- Tea : The World's Healthiest Foods.
Green tea has always been, and remains today, the most popular type of tea from China where most historians and botanists believe the tea plant originated throughout all of Asia. Why is this so? Perhaps because green tea not only captures the taste, aroma and color of spring, but delivers this delightful bouquet along with the highest concentration of beneficial phytonutrients and the least caffeine of all the teas.
11- The Miracle of Green Tea
Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.