No single cause of prostate cancer has ever been determined, but the single biggest risk factor for prostate cancer is eating products that contain animal fat. A more recent study shows that the more foods with animal fat a man eats, the greater the risk of turning up with advanced prostate cancer. This study, from the National Cancer Institute, puts African Americans at particular risk. Studies on vegetable fat don't show an association to prostate cancer. A study from Harvard indicates that red meat is the worst culprit.
Environmental chemicals tend to accumulate in meat fat.
Although it is illegal in this country to sell animal products containing hormones and drugs or chemicals, it happens routinely. Seventy-five percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65. But this is no magical number, and it's probable that many of these cancers were present years before they were diagnosed. Prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer. This argues for prevention.