Most men do not experience prostate problems, such as benign prostate hyperplasia or prostate cancer, until they reach the age of 50. Does this mean that you should wait until you are older before concerning yourself with the health of your prostate? The answer to that question is a resounding no! The earlier in life you take control of your health with diet and exercise the better your chances of fending off not only prostate problems but a whole range of other health problems as well.

When it comes to prostate health, prevention is the key and that begins early in life. The reason for the need to start early is the fact that many times diseases of the prostate develop slowly over time. In fact it is common for the prostate to enlarge slowly over the years until it becomes a problem later in life. The same is true of prostate cancer. It may grow slowly over many years with no signs or symptoms. It will remain undetected until that first prostate exam that most men do not have until they are well into their forties.

Researchers are currently devoting a lot of time analyzing the Eastern (Asian) diet and trying to find out what it contains that allows Asian men to have a much lower incidence of prostate related conditions then men of other ethnic origins. This is possibly because Asian men eat a much healthier diet than most Americans. It would only seem logical that the prostate diet needs to contain all of the ingredients that are commonly found in an Eastern diet while cutting out the unhealthy saturated fats and simple carbohydrates that are found in so many Westernized foods.

It is also true that genetics may play a role in prostate disease. This means that if you have a close male family member who has suffered from prostate disease your chances of having prostate problems are greatly increased. With the use of prostate nutrition therapy you may be more able to avoid these conditions even if you are more genetically predisposed to it.

While changing your diet and lifestyle once diagnosed with a prostate problem may well help slow down or even reverse the condition, doesn’t it make sense to avoid any illness through prevention? This is where prostate nutrition is so vital. In fact nearly all nutritionists and many doctors support the idea of a proactive and preventative approach when it comes to prostate health. It is never too early to begin considering and implementing prostate nutrition.

Prostate cancer, while very curable if detected early enough, is incurable once it has metastasized outside the gland itself. What this means is that as long as the cancer is confined to the prostate it can be treated and in most cases cured. Once these cancerous cells break away from the malignant tumor and enter the blood stream or lymphatic system they will grow and multiply in other parts of the body. Prostate cancer cells normally metastasize to the skeletal system, which is extremely difficult to treat. This is why it is important that all men get regular checkups by their doctors once they hit 40 years of age.

Aside from regular doctors visits prostate prevention comes down to living a healthy lifestyle. This means cutting out bad health habits and starting to adhere to healthier lifestyle principles. In fact men who want to avoid prostate problems should actually forget about the prostate and look to improve their overall health, particularly their heart.

In healthy bodies, inflammation occurs acutely in response to threats such as infection. Prostatitis, and infection of the prostate, is one such inflammatory response. Inflammation is linked to oxidation, because unhealthy levels of inflammation feed the oxidation chain reaction and help push it to unhealthy levels, too. If we don’t get sufficient antioxidants in our diet, or if we eat poorly, or expose ourselves to too much stress or certain oxidation-promoting pollutants, we get unhealthy levels of oxidation in our bodies.

Medical advances and further understanding of the human body has led to an increased awareness of how the prostate becomes damaged and more importantly, new ways of prostate prevention. One of the major breakthroughs in this area has been the development of the Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test that detects possible prostate cancer before it has a chance to grow.

Other research that focused on men who eat high quantities of vegetables verses men that don’t have led researchers to believe that a high-vegetable diet is essential to prostate prevention. While the research is not concrete, it is reasonably safe to assume that maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, limiting junk food, alcohol and the consumption of red meat can help prostate prevention. Prostate cancer prevention strategies require changing patterns of the way men live to work toward prostate cancer prevention.

According to studies, if men in the age range of 30 to 40 would check for the early signs of prostate cancer, they would have a 90% chance of surviving cancer, if and when they would be found to be suffering from it, without any complications.

In men the prostate is a walnut sized gland that encircles the neck of the bladder and urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder. The prostate is an exocrine gland with the main function of producing fluid that carries sperm during ejaculation. It also helps to control the flow of urine as it passes from the bladder to the penis.

As men age they become more susceptible to prostate problems. The first is benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) or enlargement of the prostate. BPH is so common that some physicians consider it a normal consequence of aging in males. It results in the enlargement of the prostate, with it alternately pressing up against the urethra and bladder. BPH can also leads to sexual dysfunction; however modern medicine is still unable to understand why. BPH will affect an astonishing 50% of men during their lifetimes but rarely causes symptoms before age 40, with more than half of men in their sixties and as many as 90 percent in their seventies and eighties encountering some of its symptoms. BPH is the most common non-cancerous prostate problem.

Symptoms of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia can include difficulty urinating, waking up several times a night to urinate, frequent urination, inability to empty the bladder, uncontrolled dribbling, painful urination, and painful ejaculation.

Prostatitis, which is an inflammation or infection of the prostate, can affect any adult male but is most common in men, aged 20 – 50. It is usually caused by a bacterial infection that has spread from another part of the body and is typically treated with antibiotics to fight the infection. Prostatitis can cause difficulty urinating, pain, fever, and blood in the urine.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer experienced by men and is the most common cancer in men over 50. The risk of its occurrence increases with age; about 70 percent of all cases of the disease are diagnosed in men age 65 and older. The symptoms of prostate cancer are similar to other prostate problems, particularly difficulty in passing urine, but other symptoms include lower back pain, pain in the hips or pelvis and erection problems. Every year prostate cancer kills thousands of men despite the fact that it can be effectively treated if caught in its early stages.

Even though prostate problems can be embarrassing for some men it is important to see a doctor at the first signs of any symptoms. Regular doctor’s visits are also important particularly upon reaching the age of 40. More often then not any problem with the prostate is nothing to worry about and can be treated quickly and easily, but the risks of not getting frequent checkups is clearly not worth what could happen.

By 60 about half of all men will be affected and by the age of 80 nine out of every ten men will be experiencing some sort of prostate symptoms. There are a range of different prostate symptoms that might point to developing problems and, as with most things, these symptoms can also be caused by a whole range of other problems.

Symptoms are usually those of a benign condition, such as benign prostate hyperplasia, and treatment can improve quality of life. Symptoms of BPH include a hesitant or weak stream, straining to urinate, a feeling that the bladder does not empty completely, urge incontinence (an involuntary loss of urine preceded by an uncontrollable sense of urgency), increased frequency of urination (particularly at night), an urgent need to urinate, and pain or irritation when urinating. Other symptoms include continuing pain in the lower back; pelvis, or upper thighs. Because prostate cancer tends to metastasize to the bone, bone pain, particularly in the back, can be another symptom of prostate cancer.

Prostate problems will develop in the vast majority of men as they grow older, commonly starting at around 50 years of age. Like other cancers, prostate cancer is a disease of cells growing out of control. Prostate cancer is usually a slow-growing type of disease, but there are some fast growing prostate cancers as well. It often causes no symptoms at all, especially in its early stages. Prostate cancer, relatively unheard of until recently, has become the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and a leading cause of premature death. In many cases prostate symptoms will be quite mild and, because at this time in life most of us are starting to develop a range of medical problems, we tend to ignore prostate symptoms as being nothing more than a normal part of the ageing process.

These prostate symptoms are the body’s warning signs that problems may be starting to develop and, whilst in most cases, this is not serious and nothing to be worried about, for all too many men these are the warning signs of a serious and in many cases fatal disease. Hopefully, with increased awareness of prostate problems, fewer men will present at this late stage of the disease and get treatment before it becomes a problem.

Unfortunately prostate symptoms are often ignored until they become unbearable. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States. The incidence of prostate cancer diagnosis in young men is on the increase, however the rate of deaths from prostate cancer has been decreasing, possibly due to improved detection methods.

Prostate cancer and other prostate problems brings fear of impotency following surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Consequently there seems to be a great interest in alternative remedies such as herbal cures, acupuncture, meditation and dietary chnages.

Saw palmetto is a key ingredient in a prostate health supplement, it has been found to be effective in reducing prostate enlargement. It reduced absorption of the hormone which triggers prostate enlargement when pro high levels, and also possesses properties which reduce inflammation and swelling, all of which contribute to relieving bladder discomfort and problems with urination.

To keep cancer at bay, a good diet to follow would be one that includes nuts, vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and kale, fruits like apples, grapefruit and papaya, oatmeal, fish and fish oil and seeds like flax, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame. Foods best avoided are red meats, alcohol, refined sugar, hydrogenated fats and soft drinks. Salmon helps fight inflammation. Research has found that men who ate it regularly had a 300% lower chance of prostrate enlargement. One nature cure recommends pureeing a few aloe vera leaves, combining it with a cup of honey and cooking it for 15 minutes. It is then mixed with 3 tablespoons of brandy and a teaspoonful drunk every 8 hours for a month.

Too often, it is because men are reticent about talking about prostrate problems. Early detection could mean a quick cure so it would be wise to go for a check up as soon as any kind of discomfort is felt in the area. It could make the difference between life and death.