5 MINUTES COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

By Crystal Brown

What can you do in five minutes that could possibly change your life? Have a PSA test! Beginning at age 50, all men should have a yearly prostate cancer test, especially African American men. Prostate cancers are found 60% more often in African-American men than in white American men. Compared with men of other races, African-American men are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Prostate cancer can often be found early by testing the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. Prostate cancer may also be found when your doctor does a digital rectal examination (DRE). Because your prostate gland lies just in front of your rectum, the doctor can feel if there are any nodules or areas of abnormal hardness in your prostate. These indicate the need for further testing to see if there is a cancer.

If you have routine yearly examinations and either one of these test results becomes abnormal, then any cancer you might have has probably been found at an early, more treatable stage. Finding prostate cancer when it is at a treatable stage means your chances of beating it are much higher.

But there are ways to reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer, such as eating a healthy diet. The American Cancer Society recommends eating a variety of healthful foods, with an emphasis on plant sources, and limiting your intake of red meats, especially those high in fat or processed. Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Bread, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, and beans are also recommended. These guidelines on nutrition may also lower the risk for some other types of cancer, as well as other health problems.

Tomatoes (raw, cooked, or in tomato products such as sauces or ketchup), pink grapefruit, and watermelon are rich in lycopenes. These vitamin-like substances are antioxidants that help prevent damage to DNA and may help lower prostate cancer risk.

Men who eat a lot of red meat or who have a lot of high-fat dairy products in their diet appear to have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer. These men also tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Doctors are not sure which of these factors is responsible for increasing risk, but by eating a healthy diet, your risk is significantly reduced.

Do something for yourself for a change and join us for our first annual Men’s Night Out on March 31, 2005 from 5-9 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information on the Men’s Night Out, call 413-886-0628. For cancer information 24 hours a day/7 days a week call 1-800-ACS-2345 or log onto www.cancer.org.

Crystal Brown has been a Community Executive for Cancer Control for the American Cancer Society since 2001. n