Overview
Prostate disorders are very common in older adults, affecting millions of men every year. The most debilitating of these disorders is prostate cancer.
According to the American Disease Society (ACS), around 2/3 of all prostate disease cases occur in people over the age of 60. Reports place this disease as the second-leading cause of disease-related death in men worldwide.
Physiologically speaking, the prostate is responsible for the production and secretion of substances that make up semen.
Continue reading to learn about prostate disorders and how to prevent them. We will also offer you a great deal on an underestimated prostate-preventive measure.
Causes and risk factors of prostate disease
The exact causes of prostate disorders vary depending on the disease itself. With that said, some risk factors include:
Age – Most cases of prostate disease occur in older men.
Family history – Those with a relative who has/had prostate disease are more likely to develop it.
Ethnicity and race – Some races and ethnic groups are more susceptible to prostate disease.
Obesity – This is a well-documented risk factor for prostate disease.
Genetic mutations – Individuals with certain genetic mutations (e.g., P53) have a higher risk of several disease types, including prostate cancer.
The signs and symptoms of prostate disorders
The signs and symptoms of prostate disorders mainly affect the genitourinary tract. It is, for this reason, that many cases of cancer get a late diagnosis. People just think they have a benign condition that mimics the same symptoms of prostate cancer.
Conversely, most patients with genitourinary tract symptoms actually have a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
With that said, here are some common symptoms of prostate disease:
Urinary symptoms
The location of the prostate makes it press on nearby organs when it gets large enough. Primarily, the urethra and bladder get affected by an enlarged prostate gland.
Since urine passes through these two organs after getting produced by the kidneys, the following symptoms may arise:
- Pollakiuria (frequent urination)
- The urgency to urinate
- Slower stream of urine
- Bleeding
This clinical presentation may be the first sign that something is wrong. Make sure to speak with your primary care physician if you notice any of these symptoms.
We should note that urinary tract infections (UTIs) share the same symptoms. A good way to distinguish between UTIs and serious conditions is by searching for other signs that indicate an infection (e.g., fever, chills).
Erectile dysfunction
Practically speaking, ED only occurs in advanced cases of prostate cancer and BPH.
However, some reports confirmed that many patients with prostate cancer first presented to the doctor’s office to complain about their ED, which later revealed their disease.
Pain
While it’s uncommon to experience pain with prostate disease, some patients skip directly to this sign without even developing genitourinary symptoms.
Unfortunately, this generally means that the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body (i.e., metastasis). This occurs after the tumor penetrates the basal membrane of the tissue it grew in, and then travels to nearby or distant tissues/organs.
How to keep your prostate healthy
The following sections will cover some of the ways to keep your prostate healthy:
1. Make dietary changes
Eating fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight is one of the key ways to prevent prostate disease. We already established that obesity is a major risk factor for this illness. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight will produce the opposite effect.
Including fatty fish in your diet is another way to lower your risk of prostate disease. According to studies, omega-3 fatty acids shield the cells from the damage of free radicals. This lowers the risk of genetic mutations. Speaking of fats, avoid trans-fatty acids at all costs.
Binge on leafy green veggies, such as kale and broccoli. Tomatoes cooked with olive oil are also another great choice.
2. Stop destructive habits
A sedentary lifestyle coupled with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption makes up the perfect recipe for all sorts of diseases. Telling you to stop smoking or lower your alcohol intake will probably not help. For this reason, we recommend that you acknowledge the damage of these habits yourself. Only then you may want to seek professional help to cut these habits.
3. Take a screening test
Due to the number of conditions that mimic the symptoms of prostate cancer, the diagnosis of this condition may get delayed. Unfortunately, this will have a direct effect on the prostate disease survival rate.
For this reason, we encourage older individuals with a family history of prostate disease or other risk factors to take a screening test. This includes a simple PSA test to check if everything is normal.
4. Take supplements
Taking high-quality supplements can aid in promoting your prostate health and preventing diseases. You need a product that contains relevant vitamins and minerals to the prostate. However, that’s not enough. Without following the strict regulation of the FDA during production, the supplement may turn out to be ineffective.
A ton of scientific research revealed that saw palmetto extract is one of the best ingredients to boost prostate health. Vitamins B6 and E also fight the oxidation that occurs in prostate tissue.
Other ingredients that help the prostate include green tea, cat’s claw, plant sterols, and pygeum africanum powder.
Including a few of these ingredients in your diet will dramatically lower your risk of prostate cancer. What’s better, however, is to take all of them combined.
How can you do that? Well, that’s the great deal we mentioned at the beginning of this article! Click here to learn more.
Takeaway Message
Prostate disease is a relatively common type of disease in men. Unfortunately, the delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer and mistaking it for other benign conditions (e.g., BPH, UTIs) contribute to the unfavorable prognosis of this condition.
We recommend that all people at risk of this disease (e.g., older individuals with risk factors) should get screening tests to detect any malignancies early on in the process. This simple step can make the difference between life and death.
Make sure to speak with your primary care physicians about the benefits of screening for prostate disease.
Find this article helpful? Please Like, Follow and Share @greatermood on all social media platform
Also check out our other health Topics here