Dietary Fat And Prostate Cancer
Per-capita fat consumption is highest in males in North America and Western Europe, and rates of prostate cancer deaths are also highest in these regions. Conversely, the countries in the Pacific Rim have the lowest fat consumption and the lowest prostate cancer death rates.
Whittemore et al studied the relationship of diet, physical activity, and body size in black, white, and Asian men living in North America and found that the only factor that correlated with prostate cancer was the amount of dietary fat. The same was true in Hawaiian men the highest prevalence of prostate cancer was in men with the highest intake of saturated fat.
The introduction of Western diets in Japan, where the traditional diet is low in fat, has led to an increased incidence of aggressive prostate cancer. Giovannucci et al reported that men who consumed high levels of fat were more likely not only to develop prostate cancer but also to develop a more aggressive form of the disease.
Still, it is intriguing that numerous clinical trials have begun examining the impact of higher fat consumption or a ketogenic diet on prostate cancer progression. It seems plausible that if higher fat intake can lead to heart-healthy parameter changes then the potential for success should somewhat rival what is observed with other heart-healthy dietary programs.
Ascertainment Of Prostate Cancer And Follow
Four prospective cohort studies obtained prostate cancer diagnoses through record linkage with the UK National Health Service Office for National Statistics and cancer registries. Case participants were individuals who were undiagnosed with cancer at the time of diary completion and who were diagnosed with prostate cancer at least 12 months later but before the closure date for each cohort . The ninth and tenth revisions of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death were used to define prostate cancer . Clinical staging data from cancer registries utilised the tumour, nodes and metastasis system, with T1-T2 categorised as localised disease and T3-T4 as advanced disease Gleason grade was unavailable in most cohorts, where cases were identified through routine data record linkage, so this clinical factor was excluded from all analyses.
Whos At Risk For Prostate Cancer
All men are at risk of having prostate cancer. About one man in nine will be diagnosed with it during their lifetime, but only one in 39 will die of this disease. About 80% of men who reach age 80 have cancer cells in their prostate. Besides being male, there are other things that contribute to the risk.
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Lifestyle And Dietary Factors And Prostate Cancer Risk: A Multicentre Case
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Study And Participant Characteristics
In total, 1717 men diagnosed with prostate cancer were compared with 3528 matched controls without prostate cancer . There were 1277 cases of localised prostate cancer and 226 advanced cases , whereas for 214 cases the disease stage at diagnosis was unknown . summarises the clinical and socio-demographics of participants by prostate cancer status. Participants had a mean age of 62 years at recruitment, were slightly overweight on average and over 85% were married or cohabiting.
Table 2 Baseline characteristics of prostate cancer cases and controls pooled across five studies
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Nutrition And Prostate Cancer
Differences in diet and lifestyle may account for the variability of prostate cancer rates in different countries. Good nutrition may reduce the incidence of prostate cancer and help reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression. There are many lifestyle studies currently being conducted to further understand how diet and prostate cancer are related.
We do know that improved nutrition reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and usually improves overall quality of life. It’s estimated that a third of cancer deaths in the United States can be attributed to diet in adults, including diet’s effect on obesity. Additionally, a healthy diet helps to increase energy levels, facilitate recovery and enhance the immune system.
Researchers conducted an 11-day study where men followed the Pritikin program. The Pritikin program includes a diet that is high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains and very low in fat. This diet is used in combination with 60 minutes of daily exercise. Serum IGF-I decreased by 20 percent after following the program for 11 days. Higher IGF-I values previously have been associated with higher risk for various cancers, including prostate cancer. This reduction in IGF-I may be related to the lower serum insulin levels observed with a healthy, low-fat, plant-based diet and regular exercise.
Can Any Foods Lower My Risk Of Prostate Cancer
There is no strong evidence that any individual food can lower your risk of prostate cancer.
You may have heard that certain foods might lower your risk, including pulses, such as beans, peas, lentils and soya foods, and foods containing:
- lycopene such as tomatoes and tomato products
- selenium such as Brazil nuts, fish, seafood, liver and kidney
- vitamin E such as nuts, seeds, wholegrains, green leafy vegetables and avocados.
But there isn’t any strong evidence that these help. Instead it’s a good idea to choose a balanced diet, including lots of fruit and vegetables and a wide range of other healthy foods, to prevent other health problems and help stay a healthy weight.
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Meat Consumption And Prostate Cancer
Epidemiologic studies have suggested a correlation between red-meat intake and prostate cancer. Giovannucci et al reported that men with the highest intake of red meat were 2.64 times as likely to develop prostate cancer as men with the lowest intake.
The association between meat consumption and prostate cancer is particularly strong with meats that are cooked at high temperatures and charred, including processed meats such as sausages, bacon, and hot dogs. Longer cooking times, increased temperature, barbecuing, and frying of such meats produce larger amounts of compounds such as heterocyclic amines and N-nitrosamines. For example, the heterocyclic amine 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazopyridine is found in grilled beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish, and processed meats. Heterocyclic amines and N-nitrosamines have been added to the list of potential carcinogens by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
In the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, Cross et al found that neither the total amount of meat ingested nor the type of meat consumed was associated with prostate cancer risk. However, ingestion of more than 10 g daily of verywell-done meat increased the likelihood of disease by 1.4 times over no consumption. Moreover, men who were in the highest quintile for PhIP consumption were 1.2 times more likely to develop prostate cancer.
Selenium And Vitamin Supplements
Recently, Bauer et al. examined circulating vitamin E and vitamin E-related genes in relation to the risk of high-grade prostate cancer and prostate cancer recurrence among men diagnosed with organ-confined disease . They found that germ line genetic variation in genes of enzymes associated with detoxification of free radicals may be associated with the risk of high-grade disease at diagnosis and disease recurrence, which might suggest consideration of such genotypes in the interpretation of vitamin E supplementation trials such as SELECT. Additionally, circulating -tocopherol levels may also be associated with an increased risk of high-grade disease at diagnosis.
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Can A Healthy Lifestyle Reduce My Risk Of Prostate Cancer
No one knows how to prevent prostate cancer, but a healthy lifestyle may be important.
The latest research suggests that being overweight may increase your risk of being diagnosed with aggressive or advanced prostate cancer. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and keeping physically active can help you stay a healthy weight, and so might help to lower your risk.
You cant change your age, ethnicity or family history, but you can take control of your diet and weight.
Dietary Treatment Of Prostate Cancer
Ornish et al showed that in men with early, low-grade prostate cancer, lifestyle intervention consisting of a vegan diet supplemented with antioxidants, aerobic exercise, and stress-management techniques can lower prostate-specific antigen levels by a modest 0.25 ng/mL . However, a reduction in PSA production does not always mean that the cancer cells have become inactive.
One of the most interesting, and possibly underappreciated, observations from the Ornish trial is that dietary changes alone appeared to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels as much as a low to moderate dose of a statin. Indeed, cardiovascular health could be tantamount to prostate health.
Dietary modifications, coupled with exercise and lifestyle modifications, may affect cancer growth rates. These measures can be used in concert with accepted therapy.
Relying on diet alone to treat prostate cancer is unrealistic, but using diet to improve overall quality and length of life, especially in regard to the leading cause of mortality in men and women, is realistic and should be constantly encouraged and embraced. With dietary supplements and cancer prevention, the current mantras of first do no harm and less is more appear to make more sense. There appear to be more supporting data for using individual dietary supplements to reduce specific side effects of cancer treatment, such as taking American ginseng to reduce cancer-related fatigue .
References
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Calcium Dairy Products And Vitamin D
Calcium intake has been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in many but not all epidemiological studies. A meta-analysis of studies in 2005 found an increased risk of 1.39 , for extreme categories of intake.111 Several studies have reported stronger associations between high intake of calcium and risks of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, defined by high grade, or advanced or lethal prostate cancer.11, 112, 113 The role of calcium is further supported by a recent study among African-American men in California, which included information on both calcium intake and vitamin D receptor calcium absorption genotype.114 Men with the vitamin D receptor Cdx2 GG genotype, poorer absorbers of dietary calcium, had a significantly lower risk of advanced prostate cancer : 0.41 95% CI: 0.190.90) than those with the AA genotype. Men with higher intakes of dietary calcium were at increased risk of advanced disease in this study, and there was a significant genediet interaction, with a lower risk of advanced cancer among men with the GG genotype and lower dietary intakes.
Pathogenesis: How Does Prostate Cancer Develop
The disease usually develops slowly and dysplastic lesions may precede cancer by many years or even decades. The prevalence of latent prostate cancer at autopsy is high and increases with age. Overt and clinically relevant disease is less common. The introduction of PSA screening has contributed to the detection of cancer at an earlier stage. Although this likely contributes to a reduction in mortality, because a significant number of indolent lesions that might never progress to become clinically overt are also detected, many of which are treated, it also leads to the phenomenon of over treatment.
Adenocarcinoma of the prostate is thought to arise primarily from an in situ proliferation of neoplastic prostatic epithelial cells. Metastasis of prostatic adenocarcinoma is mainly to the lymph nodes and to bone.
Non-modifiable risk factors are age, race and familial history. Elevated blood concentrations of insulin-like growth factor -1 have been implicated as a potentially modifiable risk factor. Other modifiable risk factors have been suggested but the evidence has been inconsistent.
Genetic susceptibility has been linked to African heritage and familial disease. In the US, African American men are 1.6 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men. A large number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms that modestly affect risk have also been identified.
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Inflammation Of The Prostate
Some studies have suggested that prostatitis may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, but other studies have not found such a link. Inflammation is often seen in samples of prostate tissue that also contain cancer. The link between the two is not yet clear, and this is an active area of research.
Mediterranean Diet May Decrease Risk Of Prostate Cancer Progression Formen On Active Surveillance
MD Anderson News ReleaseJanuary 07, 2021
In a study to examine a Mediterranean diet in relation to prostate cancer progression in men on active surveillance, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that men with localized prostate cancer who reported a baseline dietary pattern that more closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fared better over the course of their disease.
Men with prostate cancer are motivated to find a way to impact the advancement of their disease and improve their quality of life, said Justin Gregg, M.D., assistant professor of Urology and lead author of the study, published today in Cancer. A Mediterranean diet is non-invasive, good for overall health and, as shown by this study, has the potential to effect the progression of their cancer.
After adjusting for factors known to increase risk of cancer getting worse over time, such as age, prostate-specific antigen and tumor volume, men with a diet that contained more fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish had a reduced risk of their prostate cancer growing or advancing to a point where many would consider active treatment. The researchers also examined the effect of diabetes and statin use and found a similar risk reduction in these patient groups.
Trial participants were 82.9% Caucasian, 8.1% Black and 9% other or unknown. The median age was 64, 15% of the men were diabetic and 44% used statins.
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Evaluations By Expert Groups
Given the huge variation in diets around the world and the large number of cancers that diets can influence, how do we know which foods or diets should be avoided and which should be recommended? The World Cancer Research Fund and IARC have reviewed the carcinogenic risk of foods and nutrients using systematic reviews of the evidence and evaluation by expert panels. As with much nutritional research the topic is complex, but the WCRF and IARC have identified nutritional factors with convincing evidence or probable evidence of cancer risk.
WCRF and IARC concluded that obesity and alcohol cause cancer at several sites . For overweight and obesity, increases in risk for every 5 kg/m2 rise in body mass index vary from 5% for colorectal cancer to 50% for cancer of the endometrium .80 For alcohol, risk increases for each 10 g rise in consumption a day vary from 4% for liver cancer to 25% for squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.
Body mass index , alcohol, and cancer risk. Convincing associations according to the World Cancer Research Fund8 or the International Agency for Research on Cancer , or both,1080 with relative risks from meta-analyses.8 We also consider the association between BMI and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women to be convincing.65 RR, relative risk CI, confidence interval
Polyphenols Coffee And Pomegranate
Polyphenols are found in varying amounts in most fruits and vegetables, as well as in green tea and red wine. These agents act via antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antiangiogenesis pathways and have proapoptotic effects.
Some of the more popular polyphenols have been the catechins in green tea, which have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in animal and epidemiologic studies. Epigallocatechin , which is a principal ingredient in green tea leaves, interferes with biochemical reactions associated with cellular proliferation and enhances apoptosis. EGCG is a potent inhibitor of the carcinogenic heterocyclic amines , which are produced from overcooked or charred meat.
Some preliminary epidemiologic data support increasing green tea and/or EGCG consumption to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. In addition, some preliminary research also suggests that coffee consumption may help to prevent prostate cancer or aggressive prostate cancer. Still, the question remains whether these low-caloric beverages have tangible anti-cancer properties or are just markers of overall healthy behaviors that could cumulatively be responsible for a lower prostate cancer risk. This will be difficult to answer any time soon, but consuming low-caloric beverages to help maintain or achieve a healthy weight is a reasonable recommendation.
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Can I Take Supplements To Lower My Risk
Some people take supplements to try to lower their risk of cancer, but studies suggest this isnt likely to work. In fact, some supplements may even be harmful.
The best way to get all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body needs is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, including plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Speak to your doctor before taking any supplements and don’t take more than the recommended daily allowance.
Milk & Dairy Products
In their recent prospective cohort study, Song et al. confirmed previous findings and also analysed the effects of different types of milk. They showed that higher intake of skimmed/low-fat milk was associated with a greater risk of non-aggressive prostate cancer. Whole-fat milk was consistently associated with higher incidence of fatal prostate cancer and higher prostate cancer-specific mortality among cases.
A recent study by Travis et al. investigated the hypothesis that a genetic polymorphism in the lactase gene might be associated with elevated dairy product intake and increased prostate cancer risk in a casecontrol study nested within the EPIC study. The study included 630 men with prostate cancer and 873 matched control participants. They found that lactase genotype frequency varied significantly between countries, with frequencies of the T allele ranging from 7% in Greece to 79% in Denmark. The lactase variant was associated with milk intake in men, whilst it was not significantly associated with prostate cancer risk.
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