men's health

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Is it possible dietary choices may affect sperm counts, genital development of boys, sexual function in men, and risk of prostate cancer, among other men’s health issues?

The ongoing global drop in male fertility may be associated with saturated fat intake and lack of sufficient fruits and vegetables. Sex steroid hormones in meat, eggs, and dairy may help explain the link between saturated fat intake and declining sperm counts. Cholesterol may also play a role. We’ve known for decades that men with high cholesterol levels appear to show abnormalities in their spermiograms, decreased sperm concentration, about a third of the normal sperm movement, and half the normal sperm shape, and, in the largest study to date, higher levels of cholesterol in the blood was associated with a significantly lower percentage of normal sperm. Cholesterol was also associated with reductions in semen volume and live sperm count. These results highlight the role of fats in the blood in male fertility. Though a healthier diet may be associated with healthier sperm counts, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs did not seem to help.

Erectile dysfunction (ED), the recurrent or persistent inability to attain or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual performance, reportedly is present in up to 30 million men in the United States and approximately 100 million men worldwide. The reason may be due to our artery-clogging diet. Erectile dysfunction and our number-one killer, coronary artery disease, may actually be two manifestations of the same disease—inflamed, clogged, and crippled arteries—regardless of which organs are affected.

What if we ate a diet chock-full of plant foods? A compilation of case-control studies concluded that cow’s milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer, and the same outcome was found for cohort studies. A 2015 meta-analysis found that high intakes of dairy products—milk, low-fat milk, and cheese, but not nondairy sources of calcium—appear to increase total prostate cancer risk.

Harvard University researchers recruited more than a thousand men with early-stage prostate cancer and followed them for several years. Compared with men who rarely ate eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day appeared to have twice the risk of prostate cancer progression, such as metastasizing into the bones. The only thing potentially worse for prostate cancer than eggs was poultry: Men with more aggressive cancer who regularly ate chicken and turkey had up to four times the risk of prostate cancer progression.

The information on this page has been compiled from Dr. Greger’s research. Sources for each video listed can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab. References may also be found at the back of his books.

All Videos for Men's Health

Is Soy Milk the Most Nutritious Non-Dairy Milk?

Soy milk is compared to dairy milk and other plant-based milks.

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Those who eat spicy foods regularly tend to live longer, but is it cause-and-effect?

Vitamin D Supplements Tested for COPD, Heart Disease, Depression, Obesity, and Cancer Survival

Before watching the video, can you guess which conditions vitamin D has actually been proven to work for in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials?

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The Impacts of Plant-Based Diets on Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer

Why do people who eat more plants get less breast and prostate cancer?

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The Benefits of Fenugreek for Preventing and Treating Diabetes

The spice fenugreek contains 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a peculiar amino acid that may explain its benefits for controlling blood sugar.

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The Role of Kimchi and H. Pylori in Stomach Cancer

What explains the Achilles’ heel in certain Asian diets?

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Fenugreek Benefits for Sexual Function, Painful Periods, and Milk Production

The hormonal benefits of fenugreek extend beyond the muscle-bulking testosterone boost.

How Much Does Chemotherapy Improve Survival?

If you put together all of the new chemo drugs that had been approved over a dozen years, the average overall survival benefit is only 2.1 months.

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Food for Hair Growth

Hot peppers, soy foods, and pumpkin seeds may help with hair loss.

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Pills for Hair Growth

What are the pros and cons of finasteride (sold as Propecia) and minoxidil (sold as Rogaine) for hair loss?

Natural Dietary Treatments for Enlarged Prostate BPH

Cranberries and pumpkin seeds are put to the test for benign prostatic hypertrophy.

How Much Cancer Does Processed Meat Cause?

I quantify the risks of colon and rectal cancers from eating bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meat.

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The Carcinogen Glycidol in Cooking Oils

Glycidol may help explain why people who eat fried foods get more cancer.

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Pomegranate: A Natural Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Pomegranates are put to the test for weight loss, diabetes, COPD, prostate cancer, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

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Fighting the Ten Hallmarks of Cancer with Food

The foundation of cancer prevention is plants, not pills.

Mixed Nuts Put to the Test for Erectile Dysfunction

Walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts are put to the test for erectile and sexual function, sperm count, and semen quality.

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Are Onions Beneficial for Testosterone, Osteoporosis, Allergies, and Cancer?

What did randomized controlled human trials find about the ways we may—or may not—benefit from eating onions?

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White Button Mushrooms for Prostate Cancer

What can reishi mushrooms, shiitake mushroom extracts, and whole powdered white mushrooms do for cancer patients?

How to Control Cancer Metastasis with Diet

How to Help Control Cancer Metastasis with Diet

Randomized controlled trials show lowering saturated fat intake can lead to improved breast cancer survival.

What Causes Cancer to Metastasize?

Palmitic acid, a saturated fat concentrated in meat and dairy, can boost the metastatic potential of cancer cells through the fat receptor CD36.

The Effects of Obesity on Dementia, Brain Function, and Fertility

Weight loss can decrease dementia risk and improve mental performance and infertility.

Do Vitamin B12 Supplements Cause Bone Fractures and Lung Cancer?

What do randomized controlled trials of high-dose daily vitamin B12 supplementation show about the effects on cancer risk, death, and longevity?

The Efficacy and Safety of Creatine for High Homocysteine

Those on a healthy plant-based diet with elevated homocysteine levels despite taking sufficient vitamin B12 may want to consider taking a gram a day of contaminant-free creatine.

Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Animal Protein?

Might animal protein-induced increases in the cancer-promoting grown hormone IGF-1 help promote brain artery integrity?

Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Saturated Fat?

How can we explain the drop in stroke risk as the Japanese diet became Westernized by eating more meat and dairy?

Stainless Steel or Cast Iron: Which Cookware Is Best? Is Teflon Safe?

What’s the best type of pots and pans to use?

The Effects of Marijuana on Fertility and Pregnancy

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should probably be advised to either decrease, or where possible, cease cannabis use entirely. And, couples trying to conceive may also want to consider cutting down.

Do the Health Benefits of Coffee Apply to Everyone?

Genetic differences in caffeine metabolism may explain the Jekyll and Hyde effects of coffee.

Dairy and Cancer

How do we explain the increased risk of prostate cancer but the decreased risk of colon cancer associated with dairy consumption?

Benefit of Dates for Colon Health

Seven dates a day for three weeks are put to the test in a randomized controlled trial.

Oxidized Cholesterol 27HC May Explain 3 Breast Cancer Mysteries

Oxidized cholesterol (concentrated in products containing eggs, processed meat, and parmesan cheese) has cancer-fueling estrogenic effects on human breast cancer.

Eggs and Breast Cancer

How few eggs should we eat to reduce the risk of prostate, ovarian, colon, and breast cancer?

The Best Advice on Diet and Cancer

What does the best available balance of evidence say right now about what to eat and what to avoid to reduce your risk of cancer?

Does Tea Tree Oil Have Hormonal Side Effects?

Do the estrogenic effects of tea tree oil get absorbed through the skin?

Are Apples the Best Food for a Better Sex Life in Women?

Addyi (flibanserin), the drug marketed for “hypoactive sexual desire disorder,” is ineffective and unsafe. What about dietary approaches for female sexual dysfunction?

How to Win the War on Cancer

How effective is chemotherapy for colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers?

Viagra and Cancer

What is the role of erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis and Levitra in the promotion and progression of prostate cancer and melanoma?

Shark Cartilage Supplements Put to the Test to Cure Cancer

Shark cartilage supplements carry risks, but so do many cancer treatments. The question is, do they work?

Can Alcohol Cause Cancer?

If even light drinking can cause cancer, why don’t doctors warn their patients about it?

Breast Cancer and the 5-Year Survival Rate Myth

After you watch this video, you’ll know more than an estimated 97 percent of doctors about a critical concept called lead-time bias.

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