When every one in nine Canadian men is at the risk of developing prostate cancer, it is more than evident that there is a serious health threat in town. A threat that gets even more serious as you age.

Your family history, too, plays a role in it. That is, if one of your close family members has had prostate cancer, you too might be at a greater risk than others. That, however, doesn’t mean it’s an ironclad fate in your life. It doesn’t have to be for certain life changes can significantly help reduce its risk.

Factors that Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer

Like cancer in general, prostate cancer, too, is the unchecked growth of cells; in this case, in the prostate gland of a male body, responsible for healthy sperm.

It is a fact that medical science doesn’t back any preventive measure for prostate cancer to be conclusive. Yet, some studies show that certain factors in life do add to one’s risk percentage, and avoiding or controlling them can significantly help in the cause of preventing the disease. By adopting certain habits in your life and abandoning certain others, you give your body, at the very least, a respectable chance against the cancer. These habits are:

Avoiding Tobacco

While consuming tobacco in any form is bad for your health and a major cause of cancer, some studies specifically link up smoking tobacco with prostate cancer. One such study shows that active smokers are at a greater risk of developing and dying of prostate cancer.

Heavier the smoker, the bigger the chances, with chain smokers being at 24% – 30% greater risk than the non-smokers. Therefore, avoid smoking at all. Even if you are a smoker today, abandoning the habit now will help.

Drinking Smartly

Several studies confirm that alcohol consumption can impair your chances of evading prostate cancer. One conducted at the University of North Carolina specifies it in numbers. It shows that the bad number is seven drinks a week between the age of 15-49. That’s what puts you at three times more risk of developing prostate cancer than a non-smoker.

Therefore, either avoid drinking altogether or be smart and moderate about its consumption.

Eating Healthy

Although many definitions exist for healthy food, what we are referring to is pretty much the classic one. The one that calls for a diet low on fat and has fewer dairy products and more vegetables and fruits. Avoid trans-fat as much as you can, as well as meat and nuts. Leaner cuts of meat are fine as long as you practice moderation.

Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle

Along with eating healthy, you must be physically active too. This is important because, as per one study, those who exercise even the equivalent of walking for three hours a week improve their chances of avoiding aggressive prostate cancer by 86%. Figure out a regime that suits you and your age, and try to lead an active life as much as you can.

Improving Your Sexual Activity

Reported widely, certain reports suggest a positive link between ejaculation and the risk of prostate cancer. However, a lot of the data of conflicting nature is available too, suggesting that no such link exists. No report, however, says that ejaculation is bad for prostate cancer.

One study, conducted at Harvard Medical School, in fact, specifies the healthy number to 21 times a month, without any segregation between masturbation and intercourse. It may or may not have a positive impact, but the bottom line is that there is no harm in it as long as it is all safe.

So, if you run your eyes over the listed to-dos, you will realize that they all primarily call for a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the list doesn’t end with these five items and extends to everything you can do to have that lifestyle.

Between keeping your vitamins in check to the proper sleeping and waking up routine, everything contributes to it. It doesn’t mean you have got to include everything in your life and overwhelm yourself, but try to incorporate as much of it as you can. Lastly, do not forget to get yourself examined for prostate as per your PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) level. For care at home, call Annie’s Place.