Can increasing the intake of meals rich in coconut milk, ginger, garlic, onions, tomato, castor bean oil, alligator pepper and West African black pepper provides the elusive cure for prostate cancer' CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.AS men age they are bound to have prostate problems. But in some men the common prostate enlargement turns cancerous. For now it is said to have no cure. The conventional treatment options available are mainly palliatives and very delicate surgery that is rarely successful.But naturopaths backed with scientific evidence claim that if men start early eating meals rich in coconut milk, ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes and local spices such as alligator pepper, as well live active lifestyles they will not develop prostate problems later in life. They also say the mix can also stop prostate enlargement and growth of cancers.A professor of Epidemiology and natural medicine and Chairman, Oyo State of Nigeria Advisory Board on Traditional Medicine, Dayo Oyekole had told The Guardian that a special blend of castor bean, alligator pepper, ginger, coconut, and West African black pepper (Xylopia aethiopica, uda in Ibo) could be used to successfully shrink and remove prostate and fibroid growths.Nigerian researchers have investigated the effect of varying doses of coconut milk on the prostate gland. They found that coconut milk reduced testosterone level and body weight, which are key risk factors for prostate cancer.The study titled: 'Biochemical responses of rat prostate to coconut (Cocos nucifera) milk ingestion/treatment,' was published in the Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology by scientists from the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.The effect of varying doses of coconut milk on the prostate gland, using indices such as levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), testosterone, oestrogen and prostate acid phosphatase (PACP) activity, was investigated.Twenty-four adult male wistar albino rats (weighing 166-200g) were divided into four groups of six rats each. Group 1 was the reference/control group, which received no coconut milk, while groups 2, 3 and 4 received 5ml/kg body weight (b.w.) and 10ml/kg b.w and 20ml/kg b.w of coconut milk in that order.The coconut milk was obtained when the nuts of coconut (Cocos nucifera) were opened with a sharp knife to separate the shell from the pulp and to obtain the pulp. The brown skin adhering to the pulp was removed by scraping. The pulp was washed in a running water to remove any residue. The coconut pulp was finely grated and the milk expressed by squeezing with cheese cloth. During this process, the desired coconut milk was obtained in the form of droplets.The researchers found that coconut milk, at a dose of 5ml/kg b.w had no effect on PSA concentration by the fourth week of administration. PSA level is used to measure prostate health.The researchers wrote, 'significant decreases (p<0.05) were observed in PSA concentration of test groups 3 and 4 administered 10ml and 20ml/kg b.w of coconut milk respectively during the four - week period. This observed significant decrease was dose-dependent.'Serum PSA concentrations decreased significantly (p<0.05) in groups 2, 3, and 4 by week eight, when compared to the value for control group 1..'The researchers found that after four weeks of treatment with coconut milk, testosterone concentrations decreased significantly (p<0.05) in blood samples of the test groups administered 10 and 20 ml/kg of coconut milk in that order compared with the testosterone concentrations of animals in the untreated control.The concentrations of testosterone decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the serum of test group animals administered high dose of 20 ml/kg b.w of coconut milk compared with the control after the period of eight weeks.According to the researchers, as the dosage of the coconut milk increased, the concentration of testosterone decreased in a corresponding pattern.There is evidence, as put forward by Ross and Henderson (1994) that reduction in dietary fat (especially long-chain saturated fats) in adulthood will reduce circulating testosterone levels, therefore low dietary fat in adulthood might further alter prostate cancer incidence.Fife (2004) in his book titled Coconut Lovers Cookbook illustrated the beneficial effect of coconut in line with coconut having the potential to induce loss of excess body fat and increase in metabolic rate as a result of its medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA).Meanwhile, scientists at Georgia State University, United States, have discovered that whole ginger extract has promising cancer-preventing activity in prostate cancer.According to an online article in FirstView published in the British Journal of Nutrition, Associate professor of Biology, Ritu Aneja discovered in her lab, that ginger extract had significant effects in stopping the growth of cancer cells, as well as, in inducing cell death in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells.Also, researchers have found that garlic and onions could help prevent men developing prostate cancer. Men, who ate the most vegetables had a 50 per cent lower risk of having prostate cancer than those who ate the least.The benefits could be due to allium, a sulphur-based compound, which is responsible for the characteristic smell.Also, researchers suggest that a daily serving of tomatoes could protect against prostate cancer and slow the growth of a tumour in an existing sufferer.A study involving mice bred to be genetically susceptible to cancer showed those fed a daily diet rich in tomato extracts were less likely to fall ill - and survived longer if they did. The findings were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
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