Harlem Word: Dr. Carlton McGregor talks about how changes in how you live your life may prevent prostate cancer

In fall 2024, New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Dr. Carlton McGregor, MD, was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer [1].  Based on his experience, he wants to raise awareness about prostate cancer so that other men can get screened for the disease early.  In this article, he talks about the lifestyle changes that men can make to possibly avoid getting prostate cancer.

Q: Is there anything men can do to prevent prostate cancer?

A: I think there are some dietary and lifestyle changes that one could do to reduce his risk of prostate cancer [1], such as choosing a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. It’s not always easy to maintain these changes forever, but you need to be willing to change your diet to maybe prevent prostate cancer from coming earlier. If at all possible, people should stay in the best shape possible because you never know what’s going to happen to you. I think the key thing is maintaining the lowest fat diet possible (To learn more about low-fat diets and prostate cancer, GetHealthyHarlem.org suggests reading this article [2] from New York Times!).  This will be useful to avoiding many diseases like prostate cancer and diabetes [3]. If it stops you from having a disease, it’s worth it.

Another important thing to do is talk to your doctor about prostate cancer, especially if you have a family history [4] of prostate cancer.  You might not be able to prevent it, so it’s important to detect it early.With early detection [5], the prostate cancer might not advance to a worse stage.

Q: Are there any changes in your life that you have made?

A: Well, I had my prostate removed in surgery [6] so I needed to lose weight before I had my surgery to avoid complications.  It also helped my recovery because the surgeon had to go through less fat to remove the prostate [7].  If you are not healthy before the surgery, the surgery is only going to make you unhealthier and you will be bedridden longer.

To read more about prostate cancer, Dr. McGregor recommends visiting the Mayo Clinic Prostate Cancer website [8]

Read more from Dr. McGregor by clicking the links below:

• Becoming a doctor  [9]
• Who's at risk for prostate cancer [10]
• Mixing medicine and faith [11]
• What older patients are doing to stay healthy [12]
• Getting the most out of doctors visits [13]
• Story about patient lowering her blood pressure [14]
• Getting tested for high blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV [15]
• Parents' involvement in children's health [16]
• What he likes best about being a doctor [17]
• Tips to be a better patient [18]

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with Harlem health experts, written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.