Testicular cancer
My 19-year-old son recently had a tumour removed from his testicle. He is diabetic but resuming a busy lifestyle as a student. Are there any vitamins or minerals he could take to help restore his energy levels?
Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men under 35 and although still relatively rare, the incidence has doubled in the last 20 years with around 1,500 new cases annually. The good news is that it is also the most curable of all cancers with 90% of sufferers making a complete recovery. Men born with an undescended testicle are five times more likely to develop this disease. Other risk factors include a family history of the condition, early puberty and low levels of exercise.
Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (ION: 0181-877 9993) and author of Say No To Cancer and Beat Stress and Fatigue, (both published by Piatkus, £5.99) warns that early detection is crucial and suggests men check their testes each month for any changes, including swelling, lumps or hardening.
He says testicular cancer is linked with exposure to excess “oestrogen” and hormone-disrupting chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides so your son should minimise his intake of meat and dairy products, which can both be high in hormones, and eat plenty of organic fruit, vegetables and fibre instead. He should also eat more phytoestrogens - which protect against hormone-related cancers and can be found in soya, lentils and beans. He also suggests a good multivitamin together with an antioxidant supplement, (Solgar’s Advance Antioxidant costs £8.55 for 30 capsules. Call 01442-890355 for stockists.)