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The search is on for something that will help prevent prostate cancer in men. There are quite a few candidates - exercise, phyto-oestrogens, and lucopene; but the best bet seems to be selenium supplements. Over 10,000 men in Australia are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. So if there was a way to prevent it, an enormous burden would be lifted from men and their families. The trouble is that not much is known about what causes prostate cancer, so prevention's a stumble in the dark. There are some ongoing trials but no results yet. The candidates at the moment include exercise - sedentary men have higher rates of prostate cancer. Then there are phyto-oestrogens -from plants like soy. They got this idea because Asian men have lower rates of prostate cancer - but that could be genetic. Also no-one's too sure whether phyto-oestrogens are sufficiently similar to the human hormone to make a difference. Lycopene - the red antioxidant in tomatoes - is being touted, as are new antiinflammatory drugs. But it's selenium which probably has the best evidence to date. A large trial has suggested that men with low levels of selenium and low PSA levels (that's the prostate blood test), who take selenium supplements, are protected against prostate cancer to some extent. A word of warning though; supplements aren't without risk. A trial of beta carotene a few years ago showed increased lung cancer risk in those taking it. So buyer be wary. 
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