Diet - Part 3: Ye Olde Supplements

Today is Thursday and I am doing great.

Dee, Scot, Tak and Kat came down from Simi Valley yesterday. Scot, Chris and Kimo are going to attend COMIC-CON, the gigantic comic book annual event that is SOLD OUT at the SD Convention Center. All the rave over the Batman movie is being played out with folks walking our streets in full comic character costume.

We clelebrated Kat's 8th birthday last night. Actually she will be 8 on 08.09.08. (That's a bunch of 8s). But since we will not see her then, we moved the birthday cake thing up to this visit.

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." ~Mark Twain

I am sure there is some quack in a dark alley in Tijuana who has a cure for prostate cancer. Just buy a bottle of his sawdust for $100 (no, make that $500) and you will be cured for sure.

I have been careful to research reputable sources (such as the National Cancer Foundation website) to determine if there are supplements proven in studies to be helpful for guys in my situation. Here is what I found.

DISCLAIMER: The following is for reference only. Don't go out and buy all of these, mix them together, and call me when you go blind or get a chronic belly ache! Use common sense, and consult your physician before taking any supplements.

1. Pomegranate juice or extract. I mention pomegranate in yesterday's "To eat" section. As I discovered, they are delicious, but not easy to eat. I got more on me than in me. Well, a recent study showed pomegranate juice (or extract - in a gell pill) have positive results for prostate cancer prevention.

2. Sun-dried tomatoes. Another study showed re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes have a powerful effect in fighting prostate cancer. Why not just eat tomatoes? I don't know, but the active cancer fighting elements in tomatoes are intensified when sun dried and then re-hydrated. Warning, they are not exactly tasty, so I ground the sun-dried tomatoes into a power (using my coffee bean grinder) and sprinkle the power on certain foods and salads. (I don't charge extra for Dr. Jenkins recipe!)

3. Lycopene. This is the active ingredient in tomatoes. It is available in supplement form if you find it inconvenient to eat 40 tomatoes a day. :-)

4. Pectin. As stated yesterday pectin (found mostly in the peel of certain fruits, such as oranges and apples) is another powerful anti-cancer agent. I just got a bottle of 90 tables at my health food store for about $6.00. One to three tablets at mealtime should last me a month.

5. Vitamin E. This vitamin may be found in green leafy vegetables, wheat germ oil, various vegetable & nut oils (almond, cottonseed, safflower and sunflowers) hazelnuts, and sweet potato. It helps build strong cell structure, and since prostate cancer is a cell disease, Vitamin E helps fight prostate cancer.

6. Vitamin D. As with vitamin E, vitamin D helps build strong cells. Moderate sunshine exposure (15 minutes a day - with sun screen) can help elevate vitamin D. Good sources include dairy products -(low fat, please), breakfast cereals with vitamin D, and fatty fish, including salmon and tuna. Helps build bones as well, which helps men on hormone therapy for PCa.

7. Genistein. Found in such diverse foods as soybeans, tofu, soy milk, red clover, curry powder, chili powder, crushed red chili pepper, genistein helps inhibits proliferation of PC cells by transforming some of them into a different, non-proliferative cell type.

8. Fish oil. If you cannot eat the recommended diet of fish with alpha omega-3 oil, then fish oil supplement may be an option.

9. Selenium. Laboratory cell culture studies have shown that selenium can reduce growth of PC cells.

10. Epigallocatechin. Better known as green tea. There are conflicting studies as to how effective green tea may be for PC, but most indicate it is very helpful.

Remember, it is always best to get these elements into your body by eating the proper foods that contain them. But when that is not possible or practical, supplements may be the best alternative.

Now, I'm ready to hang out my shingle: Dr. Jenkins, Herbal medicines. (Just kidding)