There is probably no one cause of prostate cancer. Many doctors and scientists believe that it most likely gets kick-started by some unlucky combination of risk factors, and is then fueled by the very hormone that makes men male: testosterone.

Are you at risk?
Some of the most common risk factors for prostate cancer include:

• Age: More than 75% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men older than 65.
• Race: African Americans are 30% to 50% more likely to get prostate cancer than any other race—-and are also more likely to die from it.
• Diet: Researchers believe a diet high in fat may increase risk.
• Sedentary lifestyle: People who don’t exercise and don't maintain healthy weights may be at higher risk for developing prostate cancer.
• Family history: Although we all have about a one-in-six chance of developing prostate cancer during our lifetime, those of us with fathers, brothers, or grandfathers who had the disease are at twice the risk.

Fighting back
No matter what our level of individual risk may be, none of us has to take this disease lying down. There are things we can do to try and reduce our risk. These include:

Healthy diet
Eating healthy goes a long way! Diets especially effective at combating protate cancer are:

• Low in fat - replace high fat foods with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• High in antioxidants - such as the pigment lycopene that can be found in tomatoes, grapefruits and watermelons.
• High in selenium - a dietary mineral found in such foods as salmon, mushrooms, and barley.

Dietary supplements
There are a number of dietary supplements that may impact your chances of getting prostate cancer though not all serve to reduce the risk. For example:

• Vitamin E - some studies have found that taking 50 mg (or 75 IU) of vitamin E each day can reduce risk, although others have found no benefit.
• Vitamin A - evidence suggests that taking vitamin A supplements may actually increase prostate cancer risk.

Due to the lack of conclusive evidence surrounding the impacts of dietary supplements, the American Cancer Society recommends that vitamin supplements be used with caution.

Saw palmetto
You may be wondering about the usefulness of the plant extract saw palmetto. Research to date has been unable to show whether this supplement can either ward off or treat prostate cancer.

There is some concern that it may actually mask cancer by artificially lowering PSA levels. For that reason, we should all be careful about relying on this supplement--and be sure to let our doctors know if we are taking it at all.

See also

• Prosate cancer - introduction
• Prostate cancer - symptoms
• Prostate cancer - detection
• Prostate cancer - diagnosis
• Prostate cancer - treatment options
• Prostate cancer - coping with the aftermath
• Prostate cancer - finding support