Regular prostate exams are recommended for men over age 40. Tomorrow during the celebrity-packed Stand Up For Cancer TV show, Brad Garrett will draw attention to the importance of the exam in a brand new way. He's going to get a prostate exam... on TV.

I can't imagine how -- or what -- they're planning to show on TV. After all, prostate exams are necessary, but they're not exactly fodder for family viewing. But, knowing Brad Garrett, I'm sure they'll make it humorous and humor is often an excellent way to draw attention to serious issues.

Tune in to Stand Up to Cancer on September 5th. The special airs on ABC, NBC, and CBS.

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Want to cut your heart attack risk in half? How about boosting your immune system by 30%? You can have these perks and more just by (ahem) getting busy.

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We've all heard about foods so super in their powers they can fight off disease. This past week, broccoli made headlines for its ability to protect men from prostate cancer.

How exactly is this possible?

Researchers believe a chemical in broccoli sparks hundreds of genetic changes, activating some genes that do battle with cancer and turning off others that fuel tumors. This study is more than just evidence backing the notion that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces cancer risk. It's the first human trial that looks at the potential biological mechanism at work. We know it's good to eat fruits and veggies. Now we know why.

Specifically, the broccoli eaters in this study showed 400 to 500 positive genetic changes. Men carrying a gene called GSTM1 enjoyed the most benefit. About half the population have this gene.

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Alright, guys, stay with me on this one ...

If you father one child, you raise your risk of developing prostate cancer over men who don't have any kids. Paradoxically, if you father more than one child, you reduce your risk of developing the disease. And, if your child turns out to be a girl, your risk of prostate cancer again rises somewhat. These somewhat convoluted findings come from a study published in the January 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer.

A study of 3,400 men helped Danish researchers arrive at these findings. While they were not able to find any environmental factors that may be causing this risk fluctuation, more investigation into the child number/gender theory still needs to be done before it can be considered conclusive.

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Hey, guys. Want to keep your prostate healthy? If so, visit more porn sites. Well, that wasn't exactly what was suggested by RealAge.com, but it's not too far off, either. The key to keeping your prostate in working order is to have regular ejaculations, say the folks at RealAge.

Fluid that the prostate provides for semen is used during ejaculations, helping to keep the prostate gland from becoming congested and stagnant. This makes urination easier and also helps testosterone levels stay where they should be.

So, if you happen to be flying solo these days, it would seem that the folks at RealAge just prescribed masturbation as a preventative measure against potential prostate problems. The increased risk of hairy palms and blindness were not addressed, however. ;)

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Eggs and the skin covering poultry are said to add even more risk to the chance of prostate cancer progressing. This is coming from a study dealing with diets in regards to over 1,200 men being treated for the disease. Researchers also say that orange and yellow vegetables provide protection by cutting the risk of prostate cancer returning.

These findings point to solid dieting practices that men should adhere to if they're being treated for this variety of cancer. Other interesting information reveals that fish and fruit didn't do much to help the risk factors. So at the very least, eat your chicken skinless.

Other dieting additions could include pomegranate juice, which was shown to help fight against prostate cancer recurrence. That isn't all the information, so if you're looking for a healthy diet to combat prostate cancer, these practices will help! Read on for more tips.

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Yet another advantage to drinking green tea can be added to the list. In addition to benefiting skin conditions, cardiovascular health, and a slew of other things, researchers are claiming there's a connection to prostate cancer.

Having five cups or more daily could possibly cut the risk of advanced prostate cancer in half. While that seems like a lot of tea, people in Asia routinely consume such large quantities. It's also worth noting that men over there get this cancer a lot less frequently. Researchers say this study is not a guaranteed fix or anything, but back it by claiming they "are just presenting our results. But the study does point to the hope that green tea reduces the risk."

More clinical trials are needed to confirm this preventive ability. Either way, green tea gets one more plus on the list!

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"Leader of the Band" soft-rock singer and songwriter Dan Fogelberg died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling advanced prostate cancer since 2004. He was 56.

"Dan left us this morning at 6 a.m. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife, Jean, at his side. His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."

Many, many men get prostate cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. But it's unusual for someone so young to develop and die from the disease -- eight out of 10 men diagnosed with prostate cancer are older than 65. But it does happen. So, guys, take notice and make sure you follow these life-saving steps.

• Get tested beginning at age 50, or 40 if you are at high-risk.
• Get control of your diet. A low-fat diet is key.
  
• Exercise.
• Don't smoke.
  

Now, more than ever, it's clear that cancer can be caused by lifestyle, namely a poor diet and lack of exercise. So, do your part now, before it's too late.

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If you're of the male persuasion, you might want to serve yourself up some broccoli -- now. A new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that men who ate broccoli just once per week were 45 percent less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than who ate it less than once per month. Cauliflower might do the trick too -- it cuts the risk by 52 percent.

It's the compounds in these veggies that seem to protect cells from DNA damage and appear to slow the growth of cancer cells. A half a cup is all it takes.

A good reason to eat your vegetables, right guys?

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It doesn't have to be only your husband you help with issues of the prostate. It can be any guy you know who might use a little assistance. And the only guidance you need to offer the men in your life is this: eat six servings of vegetables every day and you'll be less likely to develop an enlarged prostate.

Accomplishing six servings is not as big an undertaking as you might imagine. A serving can be as small as a half cup of cooked vegetables, six baby carrots, or half a cup of spaghetti sauce. Sound simple? Good. Now spread the word.

For more on what constitutes a serving, take a look at this site.

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A new study released this week suggested that prostate cancer patients in the midst of hormone treatment used to slow tumor growth may actually be hurting their hearts. As in, facing a 300 percent increase of dying from heart disease in the future.

The results come from the research team seeing a decline in testosterone levels which happens when androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is used to combat prostate cancer.

Unfortunately, that drop can provoke insulin resistance, which can cause a chain reaction leading to type 2 diabetes, weight gain and increases in 'bad' cholesterol. Collectively, these conditions comprise the effect known as "metabolic syndrome." This is strongly associated with heart problems.

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If you're a guy who's sporting a good size beer belly these days, you may want to consider some measures to trim down. That's because larger waistlines are characteristic of metabolic syndrome; an aggregation of unhealthy physical traits that increases one's risk of heart disease and diabetes.

As if a risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease weren't reason enough to slim down, research from Cornell Medical College in New York revealed that waist size is also a fairly accurate predictor of potential prostate problems. In the study, 88 men (Note: the average age of study participants was 62 years old) who experienced moderate-to-severe untreated unrinary issues symptomatic of enlarged prostates were grouped according to waist circumference.

The researchers discovered that prostate volume, prostate specific antigen level, voiding symptoms, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculatory dysfunction were at increased levels in men with larger waistlines.

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Interesting research out of the U.S. and Europe this past week, as it was concluded that the season in which a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer can affect his survival rate from the disease.

Summer and fall months seemed to give an increased survival rate to those with prostate cancer.

In what I consider to be pretty interesting as a conclusion of why these months offer some kind of better protection, the researchers referenced that higher amounts of Vitamin D are taken in by the body during those seasons due to increased outside activity and sunlight exposure.

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If you're adding lycopene to your diet through supplements or more tomato eating, a new study hopes you aren't doing it to decrease your chances of prostate cancer.

Male prostate cancer is no laughing matter, and according to the study, carotenoids like lycopene and tocopherols (which are forms of vitamin E) are not the tools that will help you prevent the chances of developing prostate cancer.

This study did involve quite a few variables, as the blood levels of 10 micronutrients were studied on almost 2,000 males from eight countries in Europe. The study was to determine if any of those micronutrients had an effect on prostate cancer development, or, more specifically, prostate malignancies.

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In a case of experience really (really) counting, it has been found that prostate surgery performed on patients by older doctors have a better chance of succeeding when compared to the same procedures by younger doctors.

Your surgeons need experience to become seasoned surgeons -- that makes complete sense. When it comes to something as serious as prostate surgery, though, many surgeons continued improving until they had performed about 250 of the operations.

According to a recent study, almost 18% of men treated by surgeons with a lack of professional experience when it came to their prostate surgery found evidence that prostate cancer conditions returned five years after the initial surgery.

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