Can Fruit Protect Against Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is one of the greatest health issues that elderly men face. The prostate gland is an exocrine gland found in the male reproductive system. It is situated right under the bladder, in front of the rectum.

Exocrine glands produce secretions that ultimately end up outside of the body. The tube that starts at the bladder and goes to the end of the penis is called the urethra. It transports urine and semen out of the individual’s body. This tube goes through the prostate.

Cancer usually starts as the result of changes in the size and shape of the gland cells in the prostate. This is an unhurried disease, and many men die without knowing they even had it.

Symptoms

Symptoms of prostate cancer include difficult urinating, getting up several times at night to pee, difficulty maintaining the stream of urine, blood in the urine; peeing may hurt and achieving and keeping an erection is challenging and may be painful.

Fruits to the rescue?

It is believed eating fruits and vegetables significantly lessens the chance of contracting prostate cancer. In studies, prostate cancer cells that were combined with pectin died. When pectin was combined with non-cancerous cells, the cells didn’t die. There is strong evidence that pectin, which lowers glucose and cholesterol levels in humans, may reduce metastasis of certain cancers and tumors.

What is pectin?

Pectin is a natural thickening agent found in apples, pears and plums. A complex carbohydrate, it is contained in the wall cells and in between the wall cells of plants. It assists in regulating water flower between the cells and maintaining their firmness.

The reason pectin is believed to protect from prostate cancer is because it binds to galactin-3, which is a substance that is a part of the formation and growth of tumors. When the binding occurs, this appears to halt the growth of tumors.

Grapefruits, lemons, oranges, bananas, cherries, blackberries, apricots, raspberries and grapes also contain pectin. You get the most bang for your buck when you eat lemons and grapefruits, which possess the most pectin.

It is known that pomegranate fruit has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that inhibit cell growth in aggressive human prostate carcinoma.

Some vegetables, including green beans, carrot, sweet potatoes, legumes, dried beans and squash also contain pectin. Carrots have the highest amount but should be eaten with the skin intact for the most benefit, although the carrot should be washed before consumed.

New government guidelines recommend adults eat 7 to 13 cups of product (fruits and vegetables) daily, which is far more than the “5 a Day” recommendation of the early 1990s. Eating a significant amount of fruit and vegetables is strongly believed to protect against cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Warnings

If you are taking cholesterol reducing medicine pectin can lessen its efficacy so you need to discuss this with your physician before increasing your pectin intake. Too much pectin can also lead to diarrhea.

Joanne Hembree is a corporate health expert, helping businesses large and small to keep their workforce healthy with office fruit delivery.