1. Risk factor: Age
In general all men have the potential to develop prostate cancer because of their anatomy. One of the most important prostate cancer risk factors is age: Men under 40 very rarely suffer from prostate cancer and most patients are middle-aged. According to a web research of cancer Oncolink, men older than 45 years are likely candidates for prostate cancer, while a staggering 70 percent of patients are over 65 years old.
2. Risk factor: Race
According to Prostate Cancer Foundation, Afro-Americans are more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than white men. It is interesting that Africans who live in their home country are not subjected to prostate cancer, but the possibility increases when they emigrate to the US and the same goes for the Japanese. Some experts are convinced that people who emigrate are not used to abundant variety of food, which they start to consume in the US.
3. Risk factor: Unhealthy diet and lifestyle
Prostate cancer appears later with people who eat more animal fat and less vegetables. Some experts claim that the risk of prostate cancer can be reduced by eating fat containing fish, because the vitamin D and selenium are very effective in prevention of prostate cancer. Experts also recommend soy. The scientists haven't formed a joint opinion yet because the research which would confirm or deny the positive effect of a healthy diet on prevention of prostate cancer is still in progress.
4. Risk factor: Obesity
Obesity, which is not always the result of an unhealthy diet, is a very important risk factor. However, a research which included 787 men from the Veterans Hospital in California and was conducted between 1998 and 2002 confirms this. Urologist Dr. Marta K. Terris claims that the connection between obesity and prostate cancer is one of the most frequent. The doctors warn that obesity and prostate cancer are definitely linked, if nothing else, prostate cancer is harder to discover with more obese men.
Obesity makes the rectal check-up and x-ray treatment harder because the bones are surrounded by more fat tissue than in men with normal weight. If prostate cancer is discovered too late there is less chance of a successful treatment. Terris adds that men who are more obese develop a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.