by Dr. Al Sears, M.D.
If you’re a man in this country, you’ve probably heard a lot about skyrocketing rates of prostate cancer. With good reason: it’s the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.
Today I’ll tell you about a little-known weapon in the battle against this man killer. It’s a basic, plentiful mineral, but few doctors know much about it — or its health benefits. It’s called boron.
Boron is one of nutritional science’s ugly stepchildren. It’s a “trace element,” meaning it’s toxic in high doses, but vital to health in small amounts. It’s also toxic to animals and insects, which is why it’s still used as a commercial pesticide in the form of boric acid.
That’s one reason people don’t know about boron. Another is that researchers didn’t even recognize its role as an essential nutrient until the late 1980s. They stumbled on it by chance while conducting animal studies.
Add that to the mainstream medical establishment’s focus on drugs and surgery to deal with prostate cancer, and you can see why boron’s not on the radar screen. You won’t find it in most multi-vitamins. And most men don’t get enough of it through diet alone.
That’s a big problem, because all men really need it.
Boron’s one of your prostate’s most potent allies. Scientific research has revealed that it can cut your risk of prostate cancer in half. One recent study compared the eating habits of 76 men with prostate cancer with those of 7,651 men who were cancer-free. The men whose diets were the most boron-rich were 64% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who got the least boron in their diet.1
Boron’s power is not only preventive; it may become an alternate form of prostrate cancer treatment in the future. In mice, boron shrank prostate tumors by 25-38% and reduced PSA levels by 86 to 88%.2
What’s more, boron has the power to reverse the signs of aging. It acts like an iron shield against arthritis by blocking the enzymes that cause pain and inflammation.3 It’s crucial to bone strength and brainpower, with increasing benefits as people age. Boron keeps bones from losing calcium and magnesium. It also keeps your mind razor-sharp by improving eye-hand coordination, attention span, and even short- and long-term memory.4
Now you can understand why you should know about boron. But how can you get enough of it?
One way is through diet, of course. Foods rich in boron include fruits, nuts, and legumes. Plums (and prunes), red grapes, apples, pears, and avocados all contain boron. I tell my patients to make all-natural trail mix their snack food of choice — all those raisins and nuts are a great source of boron.
Another surefire way to get enough boron is to take a supplement. I recommend 3-6 mg per day.
This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs, is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness and heart health. For more information, click here.]