The urologist I’d been seeing for over a decade retired and I had to find a new, younger replacement. After talking with friends in the medical community, I made an appointment to meet with Dr. Philip Swiantek. Our initial meeting went well. Dr. Swiantek reviewed my medical history and medications. And, at the end of the appointment, he sent me for a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test which is still the best tool to detect prostate cancer. It’s a simple blood test that requires no fasting or other preparation. A few days after the PSA test, I called in for results. The rule-of-thumb for the PSA is that scores under 4.0 are Good. Scores 4.0-9.9 are a warning sign, and double-digit scores are Bad. My PSA score was 1.1! Whoo hoo! I attribute my scintillating score to eating pizza on a regular basis. The lycopene in the tomato sauce protects the prostate. So, if you’re a guy, get your yearly PSA and eat pizza. If you’re a woman with a Special Guy in your life, make sure he gets his PSA checked at least once a year and take him out for pizza from time to time.
Good for you, George! I have been told that cranberry juice is also a good preventive for prostate problems. We have tomatoes in most of our side dishes, veg and non-veg, that are often an accompaniment to steamed rice with boiled and seasoned split red gram, a staple diet in many parts of India (with a spot of homemade ghee, if you like). Tomatoes are a regular in dry salads. The foreign pizza brands we get here, I believe, are not as sumptuous as the ones you get abroad.
Prashant, I use cranberries in my baking: cranberry bran muffins, cranberry walnut bread, etc. Unless I buy the “pure” cranberry juice, the cranberry blends have too many carbohydrates for me. Most of my male friends procrastinate when it comes to the PSA test. Not a Good Idea.
And Zak Efron’s appearance here was a little something for the ladies?
Personally, I would have preferred my secret boyfriend, George Clooney.
I believe cooked tomatoes are better than raw for the lycopene. Pizza – food of champions!
Deb, I’ll kept that in mind the next time I post some eye-candy for the blog’s ladies! We Georges tend to have charisma (the Bushes are an exception).
Jeff, you know Jackie and I could eat pizza every day! Yes, cooking the tomatoes releases even more Good Stuff!
We’ve been eating quite a bit of pizza lately, as well as other Italian food with tomato sauce. As far as I’m concerned this could be my steady diet.
Good test score, George.
I’d love a slice of pizza, a muffin, even a slice of toast. This damned Paleo diet is killing me, but zero carbs means I can’t have much of anything except protein and leafy vegetables. Add no dairy, no sugar or aspartaine, only olive or flax seed oil (salad dressing is water and lemon juice) and I’m in food hell. So enjoy your pizza, George, Jeff, and everyone. I’ll continue to eat small portions of plain baked chicken and broccoli. Instead of enjoying mealtimes, I dread them.
Jeff, Italian food has to be my favorite, too. I like Chinese food once in a while. I’d eat more Mexican food if we had better restaurants featuring it (I refuse to eat at Taco Bell or Chipotle). French food happens to be my least favorite food (but I like the wine).
Food Hell is right, Rick! I try to stick to a low carb diet, but when I do eat carbs (like pizza) I spend extra time at the pool burning the carbs up. It works for me. I feel great!
I had pizza last night, but I wonder if the frozen, store bought variety is as healthy as the pizzaria pies. I go in Monday for my semiannual blood tests and I’ve been studying real hard.
Good photoshopping, putting someone else’s head on my body.
Bob, Western NY is the pizza capital of the world! Every imaginable variation on pizza is available here. Of course, eating all that pizza might skew your blood work. I never eat frozen pizza. There’s too much good, fresh pizza right around the corner. I wondered if you recognized that buff body…
George, it has been my dream to one day hear my Doctor say, “Mr. Stumpf, our tests show you’re suffering from a diet deficient in Pizza. You also need to boost your chocolate intake, and it wouldn’t hurt to take in a little more Beer….”
Dan, if I could get more beta cells for my pancreas I’d be eating more pizza. Sadly, pizza is not a low-carb food so I have to eat it in moderation. But pizza, chocolate, and beer…