Healthy Lifestyle and Nutrition: Allies Against Prostate Cancer
Key Takeaways:
- American research suggests that diet and lifestyle modifications can halt or even reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer.
- In a study, prostate cancer patients who shifted to a plant-based diet and engaged in medium intensity exercise, yoga/meditation, and participated in weekly support group sessions, showed a decrease in blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker of prostate cancer, after a year.
- Blood samples from men who made these changes also restricted prostate tumor growth in lab tests by 70 percent.
- Not only does a plant-based lifestyle and regular activity affect the progression of prostate cancer, but existing research suggests these changes can also reverse the growth of coronary heart disease.
- Patients undergoing traditional treatments for prostate cancer may also benefit from these comprehensive lifestyle changes.
American research illustrates the possibility that diet and lifestyle modifications can halt or even reverse the progression of initial stage prostate cancer. This is the pioneering randomized, controlled assessment to demonstrate that changes in lifestyle can influence the advancement of any cancer variation.
A Breakthrough in Cancer Research
Dr. Peter Carroll, the lead researcher and head of urology at a prestigious American university, shares that this study provides novel and crucial information for men suffering from prostate cancer as well as all others who strive to avoid the disease. This forms the initial trial from a series that aim to identify accurately the direct impact of diet and lifestyle in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.
Experiment Design and Groups
In the study, 93 prostate cancer patients were divided into two sections. One section incorporated major diet and lifestyle changes. They shifted to a plant-based diet, abundant in fruits, vegetables, legume, and whole grains, reinforced with soy, vitamins, and minerals. This section also engaged in medium intensity exercise, yoga/meditation, and participated in weekly support group sessions.
The other section, on the other hand, continued with their existing diet and lifestyle habits.
The Power of Diet and Lifestyle
After a year, a decrease in blood levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker of prostate cancer, was recorded in the section that adopted the diet and lifestyle alterations. In contrast, an increase was observed in the opposite section.
Moreover, it was noted that blood samples from men who underwent diet and lifestyle changes restricted prostate tumor growth in lab tests by 70 percent. A negligible 9 percent was reported for samples from the section that did not undergo any changes.
The section that pursued diet/lifestyle modifications also noted significant betterments in life quality.
Extending the Benefits
Dr. Dean Ornish, a colleague of Dr. Carroll and clinical professor in the same institution, builds upon the research indicating that the diet and lifestyle transformations found to reverse the growth of coronary heart disease may also impact the progression of prostate cancer.
These findings propose that patients who undertake traditional treatments for a prostate cancer diagnosis may also reap the benefits of comprehensive lifestyle amendments.
Where to Find More
Find more details about prostate cancer on the National Cancer Institute’s website.
