The impact of dietary restriction and fruit and vegetable intake on men's health

Lifestyle and Dietary Moderation to Prevent Prostatitis

Men aged 30-50 who experience difficulty urinating should consult a urologist, as prostatitis is a common problem among middle-aged men. Poor hygiene during sexual activity, frequent urinary retention, stress, excessive alcohol consumption, and a diet high in spicy foods can all lead to irritants in urine, increased bladder pressure, and reflux of urine into the prostate, thus causing prostatitis.

Doctors advise men to moderate their lifestyle and diet to avoid prostatitis:

Smoking. The nicotine, tar, nitrosamines, carbon monoxide, and other toxic substances in cigarettes can directly poison prostate tissue and interfere with the nerve function of blood vessels, affecting prostate blood circulation and exacerbating prostate congestion.

Drinking Alcohol. Alcohol is a vasodilator; the common phenomenon of "facial flushing after drinking" is a result of alcohol dilating facial blood vessels. For internal organs not visible to the naked eye, alcohol's vasodilation and congestion are also significant, and the prostate is no exception. Some young and middle-aged men with a long-term drinking habit, or even alcoholism, are prone to prostatitis.

Spicy foods, such as scallions, raw garlic, chili peppers, and black pepper, can cause vasodilation and organ congestion, which is also a major cause of prostatitis.

In short, to avoid long-term, repeated chronic congestion of the prostate tissue, it is essential to abstain from smoking and alcohol, and avoid spicy foods. Patients with prostatitis must overcome these bad habits, especially during remission, and should maintain consistency to avoid worsening the condition due to temporary pleasure, leading to prolonged suffering.

Eat more fruits and vegetables to prevent stroke.

People deficient in potassium are often prone to mental stress, and excessive mental stress can lead to ruptured blood vessels in the brain, i.e., a stroke. Recent research by American scientists shows that eating more fruits and vegetables helps reduce the risk of stroke, especially for patients with high blood pressure. This is largely due to the high potassium content in these foods.

Researchers conducted a dietary survey of over 5,000 people over the age of 55, focusing particularly on their preferences for fruits and vegetables. The results showed that 253 people suffered cerebrovascular diseases over a six-and-a-half-year period. Scientists observed that these individuals had relatively low vitamin C intake. Meanwhile, Japanese researchers conducted a questionnaire survey in 1980 of nearly 15,000 men and over 23,000 women to understand their usual consumption of yellow-green vegetables and fruits, and followed them long-term. By 1998, 1,926 of the respondents had died, with 48% dying from cerebral infarction, 32% from hemorrhagic stroke, and the remaining 20% ​​from other diseases. After controlling for factors such as weight, smoking, alcohol abuse, education level, family history of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, the study found that people who eat yellow-green vegetables daily have a 26% lower stroke mortality rate than those who eat vegetables only once a week. Men who eat fruit daily have a 35% lower stroke mortality rate, and women a 25% lower rate.

Insufficient fruit and vegetable intake causes approximately 2.7 million deaths annually. As this number continues to rise, it has become one of the top ten risk factors. Therefore, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have announced measures to encourage people to eat an average of 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily.

Therefore, men should definitely eat more vegetables and fruits to reduce their risk of stroke.