Diet changes: A healthy diet that includes more fruits and vegetables with fewer amounts of meats may result in lower PSA levels. Excessive dairy products may contribute to poor prostate health.
The combination of four widely-recognized cancer-fighting foods, pomegranate, green tea, turmeric, and broccoli, in a single twice-daily pill has now been shown to significantly reduce the rate of rise of PSA, the tumor marker that indicates progression and invasion of prostate cancer.
While physical activity in general might help maintain a normal prostate, avoid heavy exercise directly before your PSA. Avoid exercise for a few days before your PSA test. Even bicycling, riding motorcycles or ATVs, or riding horses have been shown to elevate PSA slightly for a short period of time..
3.5-4.5: Normal for a man 60-70 yrs. 4.5-5.5: Normal for a man 70-80 yrs.
PSA levels under 4 ng/ml are generally considered normal, while levels over 4 ng/ml are considered abnormal. PSA levels between 4 and 10 ng/ml indicate a risk of prostate cancer higher than normal. When the PSA level is above 10 ng/ml, risk of prostate cancer is much higher.
Certain drugs used to treat BPH or urinary conditions, and large doses of certain chemotherapy medications, may lower PSA levels. Obesity also can lower PSA levels.
Prostate cancer is the main cause of an elevated PSA level. But PSA levels increase with age and can reflect different prostate conditions. Other factors that may raise a person's PSA level include: Prostate enlargement and inflammation (prostatitis).
For example, the PSA level tends to increase with age, prostate gland size, and inflammation or infection. A recent prostate biopsy will also increase the PSA level, as can ejaculation or vigorous exercise (such as cycling) in the 2 days before testing.
Research suggests that lycopene may help lower prostate cancer risk. Lycopene can be found in foods like tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, guava, and papaya. There's about 9 to 13 milligrams of lycopene in a cup and a half of watermelon.
For example, in some studies of men with recurrent prostate cancer and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, researchers found that drinking pomegranate juice or taking pomegranate juice extract significantly slowed the rate at which PSA was rising ( PSA doubling time).
Both green tea and hibiscus tea are among the top drinks for prostate health. Both types of tea contain potent antioxidants. Studies show that green tea can help prevent prostate cancer from forming and may also slow the growth of aggressive prostate cancer.
Research on black coffee and prostate cancer has shown that men who consumed six or more cups of coffee per day had a nearly 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer. The protective benefit is even higher for more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, with a 60% lower risk.
The PSA test measures the level of prostate-specific antigen in your blood. The lab will report your results in nanograms of PSA per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood. Only the prostate gland releases PSA, so your numbers should drop to almost zero within 4 weeks after your surgery.
For elevated PSA levels caused by a urinary tract infection (UTI), your doctor can prescribe a course of antibiotics to treat the infection. After treatment, your PSA level should decline.
Elevated PSA levels can indicate the presence of cancer, but high PSA levels can also be a result of non-cancerous conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an infection. PSA levels also rise naturally as you age. Elevated PSA levels do not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer.
Tomatoes
Tomato consumption, including tomato products, is linked with a decreased risk of prostate cancer. Researchers found a drop of 10.77% in PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
A study on Alcohol Consumption and PSA-detected Prostate Cancer Risk by NIH researchers found that excessive drinking can depress PSA levels, thus reducing the reliability of PSA-based tests for heavy drinkers.
Many doctors recommend a prostate biopsy for men whose percent-free PSA is 10% or less, and advise that men consider a biopsy if it is between 10% and 25%. Using these cutoffs detects most cancers and helps some men avoid unnecessary biopsies.
Treatment for elevated PSA depends on the prostate problems that caused the PSA levels to rise. Treatment for bacterial prostatitis includes: Antibiotics. Pain medications.
While no research has proven that stress or anxiety causes cancer to start, scientists have known for years that anxiety's lingering cascade of neurotransmitters, hormones and other biological molecules can lead to a rise in PSA and even inflame existing PCa.
A steep PSA level increase over a short period (an increase of higher than 0.7 nanograms of PSA per milliliter of blood per year) often correlates with a prostate cancer diagnosis, Ruckle says. Urine tests: One of which detects PCA3, a noncoding RNA gene that is only in your prostate.
Limit caffeine and alcohol as these may stimulate the urge to urinate. Eat a low-fat diet. Eat a large variety of vegetables each day. Eat a few servings of fruit daily, and be sure to include citrus fruits.