Four Things That Put You at Risk for Prostate Cancer

Most of you know someone who has had prostate cancer; 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes, and more than two million American men have survived the disease.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to explore four things that put you at risk for prostate cancer.

1.   Age. The older you get, the greater your risk of prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 2 out of 3 prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65.

2.   Race. If you are African-American, you are at greater risk of prostate cancer. Not only that, but African-American men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at a later stage.

3.   Family history. We’re not 100 percent sure of the link between genes and prostate cancer. It appears that those with a family history are more likely to get the disease, but overall, these cases may account for only a small number of cases.

4.   Diet. While scientists are still studying the links between diet and prostate cancer, it does appear that those with a diet high in red meat and high-fat diary products tend to have a high risk of prostate cancer.

The bottom line is, although we do know there are some risk factors, there are still a lot of questions to be answered about why some men are at higher risk than others, and what role things like smoking and inflammation of the prostate have to play in the development of prostate cancer. Because a lot of these factors need further research, it is important to speak with your physician about these four risk factors and whether or not a yearly prostate cancer screening is right for you.