Prostate cancer is caused by the rapid mutation and replication of prostate cancer (PC) cells. These mutated PC cells form into tumors. The FDA forbids any natural substance or herb from being labeled as a cure for a disease, but there are complementary and alternative treatment options to help slow the progression of prostate cancer.
Supplements
Soy protein, melatonin, shark cartilage, sulforaphane and Coenzyme Q10 all can be helpful for treating prostate cancer.
Soy protein has androgenic properties that disrupt the production of testosterone, and PC cells can't grow without testosterone. A study at the Division of Radiation Oncology at San Gerardo Hospital in Milan, Italy, found that late-stage cancer patients who had previously not responded to chemotherapy showed a positive response when given melatonin along with the chemotherapy.
A 2005 study by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute found sulforaphane, a supplement derived from a compound in broccoli, starves PC cells of the oxygen required to reproduce.
Shark cartilage is antiangiogenic. It disrupts the supply of blood to forming tumors without affecting other organs and blood vessels.
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant. An unpublished study cited on e-Vitamins showed a reduction of up to 78 percent in the levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSAs) in men who supplemented with CoQ10. More studies and research are required to determine how CoQ10 works before doctors can be certain it is beneficial for prostate cancer.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin E and vitamin D seem promising for restricting the growth of cancer cells. Men diagnosed with prostate cancer often have low levels of both. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and is particularly useful to smokers with prostate cancer. Vitamin D is critical to good health and is readily available by spending 20 minutes in the afternoon sun without sunscreen. A study published in volume 163 of the Journal of Urology determined men with prostate cancer that had spread to the bones reported a decrease in the level of pain while taking vitamin D. Vitamin D also inhibited the growth of cancer cells. Avoid taking too much calcium, as it may block the complete absorption of vitamin D, limiting its positive impact.
Nutrition
A healthy low-fat diet will strengthen your immune system and speed healing. Men with prostate cancer should eat lots of tomatoes, which are high in lycopene. In multiple studies, including one published in volume 166 of the Journal of Urology, patients who consumed lycopene daily for three weeks exhibited dead cancer cells and lowered PSA levels (by an average of two points). Lycopene is also useful to prevent prostate cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower are also beneficial for treating and preventing prostate cancer because they contain some level of sulforaphane.
Multiple studies, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the journal of Cancer and Nutrition, discovered men who ate two to three servings of fish weekly had lower PSA levels.
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