Dr. David Samadi of RoboticOncology discusses why eating more mushrooms may reduce risk of prostate cancer

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It may be time to stock up on mushrooms if you want to reduce prostate cancer.  This news is from a long-term cohort study of more than 36,000 Japanese men over 13 years suggesting an association between eating mushrooms and a lower risk of prostate cancer.

"Men's food choices matter when it comes to dodging prostate cancer," explained Dr. David Samadi, Director of Men's Health at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York.  "For example, lycopene, a phytonutrient predominantly found in cooked tomatoes, has a long history for possibly reducing prostate cancer risk. Now men should consider adding in sliced mushrooms to foods using tomato sauce or paste in meals."

Published in the International Journal of Cancer, the study included Japanese men ages 40-79 years. Men older than 50 years who consumed regularly mushrooms at least once or twice a week but even better if it was three times a week or more had 8% and 17% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who ate mushrooms less than once weekly. This association persisted regardless of the stage of prostate cancer or intake of other vegetables, fruit, meat, or dairy foods.

In Asian culture, mushrooms are habitually used for their nutritional value and medicinal purposes. It has been shown in test-tube studies on living organisms that mushrooms have the potential to prevent prostate cancer. But this is the first study conducted in humans looking at the relationship between mushroom consumption and the incident of prostate cancer.

"As a urologist, treating men with prostate cancer is a main focus of mine. It's important for all men to understand this disease," said Dr. Samadi. "Men should know that prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland – a small, walnut-shaped gland found only in men that produce fluid that forms part of semen – begins to grow out of control and it's the second leading cause of cancer death in men."

Researchers with the study stated that mushrooms are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, especially L-ergothioneine, believed to mitigate against oxidative stress, a cellular imbalance resulting from poor diet and lifestyle choices and exposure to environmental toxins that might lead to chronic inflammation responsible for diseases such as cancer.

"While eating more mushrooms can be an important component of a healthy diet, I emphasize eating a healthy and balanced diet composed of a variety of healthy foods is the best bet for promoting and increasing the chance of reducing prostate cancer," explained Dr. Samadi.  "Foods work together in synergy so by combining healthy, nutrient-dense foods along with mushrooms the majority of time, will end in the best results health-wise."

While there is no guarantee that increasing mushroom consumption will prevent prostate cancer, mushrooms are a healthy food to add to meals. For more ideas on how to incorporate more mushrooms into your meals, click here to discover how.  

David B. Samadi, MD, Urologic Oncology Expert and Robotic Surgeon located at 485 Madison Avenue on the 21^st floor, New York, NY – 212-365-5000.  Follow Dr. Samadi at www.samadimd.com, www.prostatecancer911.com, and www.roboticoncology.com.

SOURCE RoboticOncology

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