5 risk factors for prostate cancer

One in seven men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. Discover the factors you need to be aware of to gauge your risk.

Age is the most significant risk for prostate cancer, and 65 per cent of the diagnosed cases are in men over the age of 65.

• If you're younger than 40, your chances of developing this cancer are only one in 10,000, but after 40 your risk increases considerably.
• Between the ages of 40 to 49 the number of men diagnosed is one in 38.
• The rate of cases spikes even higher to one in 14 for men in the age range of 60 to 69.

• Men of African or Caribbean descent have a higher risk for prostate cancer, and statistics show that these men are more likely to die from the disease.
• This cancer is less common in Asia, Africa and Central and South American countries, but more widespread in the Caribbean, North America, northwestern Europe and Australia.

It's interesting to note that the number of diagnosed cases for men from countries with low incidence rates increases dramatically when they move to countries that have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

If you have close family members who have had prostate cancer, your chances for developing this disease are greater.

• Your risk doubles when your father or brother has had the disease, and having a multiple family members with prostate cancer creates a higher risk than having a father with the disease.

Weight

• You may not have connected your body weight to prostate cancer, but overweight men are at risk for a more aggressive prostate cancer and may be more likely to die from it.

Diet

• Eating a low fibre, high fat diet can raise your risk.
• Researchers have discovered that saturated fats found in processed foods, red meats and dairy products increases the amount of testosterone produced, possibly causing cancer cells to grow.

Foods rich in lycopene such as tomatoes and tomato products may help prevent prostate cancers, as well as soy, green tea and broccoli.

• Rest assured that no single factor alone causes prostate cancer.

While some men will develop this cancer without having any of the risk factors, others may have several factors present but never develop prostate cancer.

If you're a health-conscious man who would like to reduce your odds of developing prostate cancer, study up on your personal risk factors and begin making healthy lifestyle choices today.