“Now we have evidence that they can affect this very common and sometimes fatal male cancer,” she said.
Prostate cancer is the second most common common cancer In men, after skin cancer, an estimated 288,300 new Case 34,700 deaths are expected this year. Risk factor Including age, most cases occur in men over the age of 65. Ethnicity, African-Americans are at higher risk. and certain genetic mutations.
“This is something men can do on their own with a healthy grocery shopping list,” Liu said. “And it doesn’t require drugs or other medical intervention.”
Higher amounts of plant foods are associated with lower cancer growth risk
The relationship between diet and cancer risk has been investigated in many studies. Eat certain foods, such as low-fat foods, and avoid others, such as red meat. linked Lowers the risk of certain cancers. breast and colonFor prostate cancer, eat foods rich in antioxidants Lycopenelike that tomatowhich seems to reduce the risk.
Liu and her team focused on men who already have prostate cancer and are at risk of the cancer growing or coming back after treatment. The researchers found that men with prostate cancer who ate the diet with the highest amount of plants had a 52% lower risk of disease progression and a 53% lower risk of disease recurrence compared to those on the diet with the lowest amount of plants. I found it to be low.
Liu said 204 of the more than 2,000 participants progressed during the study. “This is a significant minority,” she said.
She said the analysis included scoring good and bad foods, and participants reported how much they ate but were unable to state individual or recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.
2020-2025 dietary guidelines Americans recommend that adults consume the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables each day.
This unpublished result observational study To be presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancer Symposium San Francisco this week. This study was a substudy of the Strategic Urology Research Effort for Prostate Cancer. CapsureThis is a large, multisite study of 15,000 men, initiated in 1999, looking at different aspects of prostate cancer.
The plant-based substudy study began in 2004 and involved 2,038 men with early-stage prostate cancer (cancer that has not metastasized or has limited metastasis).
Liu said he tried to gauge both good and bad foods by filling out questionnaires on how often he ate about 140 different foods and drinks, including broccoli, red meat and potatoes.
“This was an observational study, so we didn’t tell the men what to eat,” she said. I did.”
Many things influence cancer — people who eat healthy foods often engage in other healthy habits — and the researchers took other factors into consideration, including . walking Pace — Faster pace seems to help prostate cancer patients — smoking, diabetes, family history of prostate cancer, household income, education level, height, body mass index, alcohol use, multivitamin and supplement use.
Implications for future research
These findings are in line with previous studies, which say they have “extended health benefits” and “few risks of a plant-based diet.” Donald Hensrud, an associate professor of preventive medicine and nutrition at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, was not involved in this recent study.one great researchFor example, consumption of plant-based foods was found to reduce the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, especially in men under the age of 65.
While other scientists have taken this study seriously, future studies should include more specific analyzes of genetics and metabolism to better understand the effects of diet on prostate cancer. said that there is
“Such studies in larger cancer patient populations, together with more in-depth research on measuring blood and tissue levels of dietary elements and nutrients, will help to develop more specific cancer risk reduction and even cancer treatment strategies.” Very useful for designing eclipses.” said Jeffrey Jones, Professor of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine and an expert in uro-oncology. he was not involved in his research.
“Future studies should also look at the molecular and genetics of people and the mutations that cause cancer,” he said. Nicholas Mitiades, Professor of Medicine and Chief Translation Officer at the University of California, Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, who also was not involved in the study. “I need to know how [the patients’] Metabolism is programmed because different people process food differently. ”
Mitsiades also said that socioeconomic status may discourage some people from eating a healthy diet because fresh fruits and vegetables are often expensive or unavailable. pointed out. “It costs more to eat a plant-based meal than it does to go to McDonald’s and eat a hamburger,” he said. “So it’s not always easy.”
Still, he always advises cancer patients to avoid saturated animal fats, especially red meat, and increase their plant intake. said Mitiades. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t pill all those meals, which is probably what most Americans want.”
Liu and her colleagues next plan to analyze the plant-based diet and prostate cancer-specific mortality or mortality and quality of life at specific intervals of 2, 5, and 10 years after diagnosis. doing.
Liu, on the other hand, suggested that men with or without prostate cancer should stick to fresh foods with plants in their plates and avoid plant-based meat substitutes, which tend to be high in fat.
“I love these burgers myself, but unfortunately not all diets are the same in terms of risk factors.
“Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. The more you can blend in, the better.”
It’s common knowledge that fruits and vegetables are good for you, Liu said. “And now here’s another reason to say it.”
