Healthful Goddess provides information about healthy living, and in this segment we will concentrate on articles about Prostate Cancer, its causes, symptoms and treatment, so you can help the men in your life!

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Every year, over 240,000 men will get a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Study shows that in America, prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the male population.  Therefore, it is important to know what factors come into play when determining if you are at risk.  Here are some of the causes of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is rare in other parts of the world.  That alone suggests that environment and diet play a significant role in the formation of this type of cancer.  It is not the number one killer of men but there are close to 30,000 deaths a year from the condition.  African-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer.

Like any other cancer, cancer of the prostate can begin with normal cells.  When the cells start to grow out of control you have cancer.  Prostate cancer has a very high cure rate when the cancer remains in situ (within the gland).  Once the cancer metastasizes to other organs, the brain and/or bone, it is incurable.

So, what do you need to know about prostate cancer to lower your chances of developing the disease?

The prostate is a small gland that is found below the bladder in the male reproductive system.  This gland is responsible for creating most of the fluid that goes into making semen.  The male hormone, testosterone, regulates the function of the prostate gland.

The prostate can become enlarged.  This is called BPH or benign prostatic hypertrophy.  It can be uncomfortable to say the least, but there are no cancer cells.  You wonít know if this is the case unless you get tested.  Beginning at age 50, a yearly exam is recommenced to catch any cancer that may be growing there.

As we said, diet can play a big role in the development of prostate cancer.  Men who have a diet high in red meat and unhealthy fats are at greater risk.  This excess animal fat increases the production of testosterone in the body.  Prostate cancer is essentially a slow growing cancer, but testosterone increases the growth rate of the prostate tumor.