Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet to Fight Prostate Cancer. Get to know her

New research by scientists from the University of South Australia says that men who eat colorful fruits and vegetables on a regular basis are less likely to develop prostate cancer.

A wide variety of foods rich in certain micronutrients helps prevent prostate cancer as well as speed recovery among men undergoing radiation therapy for this disease.

The review of the results on this topic came from two studies published in the journal Cancers, with the aim of highlighting the importance of a Mediterranean or Asian diet that includes these foods.

The researchers compared plasma micronutrient concentrations in prostate cancer patients with a healthy control group, revealing lower levels of lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene and selenium in cancer patients and high levels of iron, sulfur and calcium in the same group, compared to controls.

Increased DNA damage after radiation exposure has also been associated with reduced lycopene and selenium in blood plasma.

Foods rich in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelons, papaya, grapes, peaches, watermelons and cranberries. Foods rich in selenium include white meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, and nuts.

Study co-author Dr Permal Dew says naturally eating foods rich in lycopene and selenium is better than taking supplements, where benefits are limited, according to previous studies.

"Our recommendation is to adopt a Mediterranean diet that uses the help of a nutritionist because people absorb nutrients in different ways, depending on the food, digestive system and genotype of the person."

Prostate cancer is still one of the most common and fatal cancers in men, but the nutritional deficiencies associated with it are still largely unknown, hence this study.

Other risk factors, such as race, family history and age, have previously been linked to prostate cancer.