Prostate Function and Disease
To understand prostate disease one must first understand the prostate function. The purpose of the prostate is to store and to secrete fluid, both urine and semen. The prostate’s fluid has a function and that is to neutralize the acidity of the vaginal tract, in hopes of prolonging the lifespan of sperm long enough for one sperm to be successful in it’s quest to fertilize an egg. To ejaculate the sperm the prostate also contains smooth muscles to help expel the semen when a man ejaculates.
In order for the prostate to work properly there needs to be male hormones (androgens). Androgens are responsible for male sex characteristics. Another male hormone, testosterone, is produced mainly by the testicles and some male hormones are produced by the adrenal glands. Dihydrotestosterone regulates the prostate. Androgen is a byproduct of testosterone and has tumor-suppressing capabilities.
The prostate is just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra (the tube from which the urine flows). A doctor doing a rectal exam can feel the prostate to detect both size and texture of the prostate. A healthy prostate on a grown male is approximately the size of a mature walnut.
There are many possible prostate disorder that a male may develop including prostatitis, which is an inflammation of the prostate gland; benign prostatic hyperplasia which mainly occurs in older men and is when the prostate enlarges and makes urination difficult; and prostate cancer, one of the most commonly occurring cancers affecting older males.
The rate for prostate cancer for instance increases with age. Males under age 40 have only a 1 in 10,000 chance for developing prostate cancer. Males age 40 to 59 have a 1 in 39 chance for developing prostate cancer. Males over age 60 have a 1 in 7 chance for developing prostate cancer. If you are a male of African-American heritage you have a 1.5 times higher likelihood of developing prostate cancer than Caucasian males. Males who have a father, brother or son with prostate cancer are more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer.
Just like other parts of the human body there are many factors that influence the prostate, some of these factors cannot be changed such as age, family history and ethnic heritage. Other factors such as diet and weight can be managed to improve the health of the prostate and perhaps prevent disorders of the prostate.
Our environment which we have some say in, and our diet can influence the way our body and in particular the prostate functions. Our bodies have some natural defenses against things that are harmful to it such as toxins or things that we eat, drink, or inhale that are not particularly healthy for us and some of these natural defenses fight against allowing normal cells to become cancerous, the delicate balance between normal cells and those cells trying to become cancerous can be easily upset by improper diet or our environment. Factors that put our defenses off balance can sometimes be easy to understand such as the fact that 90% of Americans with lung cancer are smokers. The carcinogens inhaled with the cigarette smoke are what upset the delicate balance. When it comes to other cancers such as prostate cancer it is not always so easy to understand what upsets the balance. Although researchers have not yet detected with certainty what upsets the balance when it comes to prostate cancer they do know that certain nutrients might help to protect your prostate or help to slow down the progression of the disease should it occur.
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