Lifestyle and diet can help in prostate cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Intensive alterations in diet and lifestyle can stop or even reverse the progress of prostate cancer, says a new study.
There's long been interest in whether diet can influence the outcome in cancer. Now, in a report from the University of California, San Francisco, there is some evidence that maybe it can. This is the first controlled trial showing an influence of lifestyle on cancer progression.

A group of 93 men with prostate cancer who were not having treatment, for various reasons, were assigned to either diet/lifestyle change or no change. Those in the former sub-group were put on a vegan diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes which was supplemented with soy, vitamins and minerals. They also participated in moderate aerobic exercise, yoga and meditation, and had a weekly support group.

After a year of this, prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels went down in the lifestyle change group but went up in the control group. PSA is a 'marker' for prostate cancer. There was also a positive correlation between the degree of lifestyle change and the fall in PSA. The findings are very encouraging for those who would like to use self-help to fight cancer. The researchers will continue to follow up the patients to see how the lifestyle changes affect the eventual outcome of their cancer.

Source
Journal of Urology September 2005

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