High amounts of fat linked to prostate cancer
Because the exact cause of prostate cancer is not known, at this time it is not possible to prevent most cases of the disease. Many risk factors such as age, race, and family history cannot be controlled. Current information on prostate cancer risk factors, however, suggests that prostate cancer may be linked to high amounts of fat in a man's diet. Simple steps may help you to cut back on fat and perhaps lower your prostate cancer risk.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) offers these tips for reducing the amount of fat in your diet:
- Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
- Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
- When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
- Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
Check the Nutrition Labels on the Foods You Eat.
Wrapped around almost every packaged food you might buy is your guide to finding the healthiest foods possible for you and your family: a food label. Food labels are required to have specific meanings. For instance, a product advertised as "fat-free" must have an amount of fat so small that the fat will probably have no effect on your body, the ADA reports. Likewise, a food labeled "light" must have a third fewer calories or 50 percent less fat than the traditional version. And food that says it's "high in calcium" must contain 20 percent or more of the recommended Daily Value for calcium.
Learn to read a food label to:
Check calories. Every label lists the number of calories in a single serving of food. What's more, serving sizes are standardized. So you'll be able to compare foods to discover which brand of chicken soup or spaghetti sauce has fewer calories.
Learn about a food's nutritional merit. Food labels don't list every nutrient in a food. But they do list those that have the greatest effect on health, such as fat, cholesterol, calcium, sodium and fiber.
Moreover, labels also specify the exact amount of these key nutrients in a serving of food. This lets you quickly compare similar foods to find out which one will contribute most to a healthy diet.
Know precisely what you're buying. By law, food manufacturers must list all ingredients in their products. This list is especially helpful if you have a food allergy or want to avoid certain foods—for example, if you're a vegetarian.
Label claims
Not long ago, many of the claims that showed up on labels were nothing more than advertising hype. Vegetable oil marketed as "light" might merely be light in color—not calories or fat.
Today, however, labels are required to have specific meanings. For instance, a product advertised as "fat-free" must have an amount of fat so small that the fat will probably have no effect on your body, the ADA reports. Likewise, a food labeled "light" must have a third fewer calories or 50 percent less fat than the traditional version. And food that says it's "high in calcium" must contain 20 percent or more of the recommended Daily Value for calcium.
The bottom line: You can trust the wording on the label.
You can also trust any health claim promoting the potential of a particular food or nutrient to reduce the risk of a health problem—such as high blood pressure or osteoporosis. That's because only those health claims backed up by scientific evidence are now allowed on labels.
In sum, if you're in the market for a healthier diet, you can use food labels to your considerable advantage.
An interactive look
Use the icon below to take an interactive look at the different parts of a food label and what they mean.
