Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Little is known about risk factors, but recent studies show surprising results. What influence sexually transmitted diseases have, but also what are supposedly healthy foods and personal habits – and are avoidable.
Diagnosis of prostate cancer – more than 65,000 men in Germany are confronted with it, no other cancer occurs with them so frequently. Nevertheless, little is known about the development and, above all, about the avoidable, i.e. modifiable risk factors of male cancer. The only thing that is certain is that age, obesity and a meat-heavy diet favor the development.
Genetic predisposition also plays a role. So if your father, brother or uncle was already affected, your own risk increases. But scientists are slowly identifying other risk factors that – in contrast to age and genetics – everyone can influence themselves:
Men who have had a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are particularly at risk of developing prostate cancer later, according to an Italian study. In their meta-analysis, the researchers evaluated 47 studies that dealt with STIs and prostate cancer. Accordingly, gonorrhea, commonly known as gonorrhea, increases the prostate risk by almost 50 percent.
Syphilis also appears to have some influence on cancer development. For other STIs, such as HPV, the results associated with prostate cancer have not been as clear. But the researchers assume that STIs generally increase the risk of prostate cancer.
The cause of the fatal consequences – first venereal disease, later prostate cancer – are probably the inflammatory processes in the prostate that can occur with an STI. Especially if the tissue becomes inflamed for a long time or repeatedly, the risk of cancer increases. Some men are known to contract gonorrhea or syphilis several times in their lives.
Based on these results, a very large number of cases of prostate cancer could probably be prevented if STI prevention were carried out reliably, keyword safer sex. In this way, infection with gonorrhea and syphilis can be avoided and the risk of prostate cancer reduced.
Difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep have a negative impact on health, that is common knowledge. What is new is the finding that insomnia also increases the risk of prostate cancer, by 10 percent. This is the result of an analysis of the sleeping habits of more than 200,000 men with a follow-up period of a good ten years.
Sleep problems can often be influenced well with self-management, such as sleep hygiene, relaxation exercises, avoiding stressful films in the evening and using cell phones and tablets in the bedroom. Alcohol is also not the desired sleep bringer as many think, but demonstrably impairs the quality of sleep. The study also shows a very simple way of reducing your personal prostate risk: a nap in the afternoon, i.e. a nap, reduces the risk by around nine percent.
The food, which has been praised as a health drink for decades, is not that cheap in larger quantities. This has been proven in several studies in recent years. It is not just about the risky fat profile that can be avoided with low-fat products. Milk and dairy products can increase the risk of some types of cancer, such as breast cancer, but also prostate cancer, a recent study suggests.
According to this, even two cups of milk increases the risk of prostate cancer by 25 percent. Several substances in milk and milk products could be responsible for this. Not including calcium, but presumably sex hormones. Because our milk usually comes from pregnant cows and therefore also contains hormones. Many forms of prostate cancer are hormonally responsive. The growth factor IGF-1, the abbreviation for “insulin-like growth factor”, could also promote the development. These associations are present but not strong, as a meta-analysis suggests.
The daily consumption of milk, cheese and yoghurt is therefore not a risk factor as long as the amount remains moderate.
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Smoking floods the body with tons of carcinogenic substances. Not only the mouth and the upper and lower respiratory tract come into contact with the lungs, but also indirectly the bladder and prostate. However, there are conflicting study results as to whether smoking is really a strong risk factor for prostate cancer or not. However, a recent study shows for the first time how dangerous smoking is for men with prostate cancer: Smokers have a 20 percent higher risk of dying from this cancer than non-smokers.
The longer and the more people smoked, the greater the death rate. This connection was particularly pronounced in cancer patients who not only smoked but were also overweight. Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for many types of cancer. Because fat cells produce hormones like leptin, which can promote cell growth, support subliminal, silent inflammation that can promote cancer.
Both risk factors can be reduced with a little initiative – stopping smoking and losing weight.
Against this background, it is not surprising that lack of exercise is one of the risk factors that can be influenced. Insufficient physical activity is a well-known risk factor for various forms of cancer – not only for breast, colon, lung, pancreatic and endometrial cancer, but also for prostate cancer.
Various factors play a role in this. For example, lack of exercise influences hormone production and promotes silent inflammation.
Regular physical activity could reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 10 to 20 percent. The effect is greater, the more intensively the sport is practiced. The WHO recommends two and a half hours a week as a minimum – with regard to cancer prevention, a little more is definitely better. So other professional societies like the American Cancer Society suggest at least 60 minutes a day of moderate or 30 minutes of vigorous activity.
