A medical doctor, Sandra Nnamani, has recommended that men get regular prostate screening, quit smoking, eat a healthy diet, and engage in regular exercise for the prevention of prostate cancer.

She equally urged that they eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains as they contain many vitamins and nutrients that could contribute to their health.

Nnamani gave the recommendation when she spoke as a guest speaker on ‘Men, Can We Talk?’ during a programme organised by CWAY Water to celebrate and acknowledge the impact of their male employees, with a target to achieve zero health challenges by taking adequate care of themselves.

While she urged them to also maintain a healthy weight, she said in cases of high risk of prostate cancer, they should talk to their doctors as they might consider medications or other treatments to reduce the risk. She emphasised some studies that suggested that taking drugs used to control prostate gland enlargement might reduce the overall risk of developing prostate cancer.

Defining what prostate cancer is, the public health expert highlighted challenges of trouble urinating, decreased force in the stream of urine, blood in the urine and semen, as well as bone pain, weight loss, and erectile dysfunction as some of the symptoms the carrier may experience. On the risk factors, Nnamani said it is most common after age 50 and prevalent in blacks, those who are mostly obese and those who indulge in smoking.

However, she said it could be managed through active surveillance. “With this approach, you get screenings, scans and biopsies every one to three years to monitor cancer growth. Active surveillance works best if the cancer is only in the prostate, slow-growing and not causing symptoms,” she said.

Senior Human Resources Manager, CWAY Water, Francis Chukwuemezie, said the programme aimed to create awareness for men to take care of themselves. He said findings show that some percentage of the workforce was suffering from high blood pressure (HBP).

“As you are taking your children to hospital, take yourself too. As you are giving them money for food, you also take care of yourself.

“The accident we have noticed in the workplace more is high BP, the reason we are organising this on the need for men to take care of themselves. We aim to eliminate this and achieve zero health challenge,” he said.

Similarly, Senior Factory Manager, CWAY Water, Gordian Azolum, said men spend more time trying to take care of the family without taking care of themselves.