Gents, Can Your Diet Keep Prostate Cancer in Check?
When faced with a prostate cancer diagnosis, many men wonder what they can do to improve their odds.
While treatments like surgery or radiation are often recommended for aggressive cancers, for those with low-grade prostate cancer, active surveillance—closely monitoring the cancer over time—is a common approach.
But here’s where it gets interesting: a recent study from Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that what you eat could play a major role in keeping your prostate cancer from progressing to a more dangerous stage.
Researchers found that men who adhered to a high-quality diet were significantly less likely to see their cancer worsen.
In fact, every increase in diet quality score was associated with up to a 30% reduction in the risk of cancer progressing to a more aggressive form. The findings, published in JAMA Oncology, provide some of the first solid scientific evidence that a healthy diet can help prevent prostate cancer from becoming more severe.
The study followed 886 men with low-grade prostate cancer who were undergoing active surveillance. By tracking their dietary habits and assigning each participant a Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score, researchers were able to determine that those who stuck to a healthier diet had much better outcomes.
Men with higher HEI scores—those who consumed more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, while limiting processed foods and sugar—were less likely to experience “grade reclassification,” a term used to describe when low-grade prostate cancer progresses to a more aggressive state.
While previous studies have suggested that diet can influence cancer risk, this study is among the first to provide statistically significant evidence that diet quality can also affect cancer progression in men already diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Now, inflammation is often linked to cancer development and progression, so the researchers also looked at the participants’ Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores.
While they did not find a direct link between inflammation and prostate cancer progression in this study, other research suggests that lowering inflammation through a healthy diet is still beneficial for overall health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer and are following an active surveillance plan, focusing on a nutrient-rich diet could help keep your cancer in check.
Here are some tips to boost your HEI score:
- Pile on the Produce: Vegetables and fruits are packed with antioxidants and nutrients that support your overall health. Dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, and berries are especially good choices.
- Choose Whole Grains: Swap out refined grains for whole grains like oats, quinoa, and brown rice to keep your diet heart-healthy and cancer-fighting.
- Limit Processed Foods: Processed meats, sugary snacks, and fast foods can contribute to inflammation. Cut back on these and focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods instead.
It’s encouraging to know that simple changes in what you eat could make a big difference in your prostate health.
But remember, while diet can be a powerful tool, it’s just one part of the puzzle. Regular checkups and close monitoring are still key.
To protecting your prostate,
Rachel Mace
Managing Editorial Director, e-Alert
with contributions from the research team
P.S. Could your workout help fight prostate cancer?
Sources:
Johns. (2024, October 17). A healthy diet may help keep low grade prostate cancer from progressing to more dangerous states. Medicalxpress.com; Medical Xpress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-healthy-diet-grade-prostate-cancer.html
