| Dietary changes should be on the prescription | | | | white rice, white flour, and sugar). The people |
| pads of doctors treating men with prostate | | | | took cooking classes, participated in group |
| cancer. New research shows that eating more | | | | discussions and meals, and were counseled |
| whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes while | | | | regarding calorie intake (1,600 calories per day) |
| eating less meat, dairy, and refined carbohydrates | | | | and portion sizes. |
| could slow the progression of the deadly disease. | | | | Compared with the rate of PSA rise in the |
| "Studies have associated the Western diet not | | | | prestudy period, there was a significant reduction |
| only with prostate cancer incidence but also with a | | | | on the rate of rise throughout the intervention |
| greater risk of disease progression after | | | | period. Nine of the ten men had a slower |
| treatment," said Gordon A. Saxe, MD, PhD, lead | | | | progression of PSA levels. Four of the ten men |
| author of the study and assistant professor of | | | | had a lower PSA level than when they started |
| Family and Preventive Medicine at the Moores | | | | the diet. The time it took the men's PSA levels to |
| Cancer Center at the University of California, San | | | | double increased nearly tenfold over six months, |
| Diego. "Conversely, many elements of plant-based | | | | suggesting a strong protective effect. |
| diets have been associated with reduced risk of | | | | Prostate cancer is the second most common |
| progression." | | | | cancer affecting men in the Western world after |
| Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a marker for | | | | skin cancer. About 35% of men who are treated |
| prostate cancer recurrence and often the earliest | | | | for the disease will experience a recurrence within |
| sign of spread of the disease beyond the | | | | ten years. These men are at higher risk for |
| prostate gland, even in people with no symptoms. | | | | life-threatening metastases. Prevention of such |
| Saxe and colleagues conducted a six-month | | | | recurrences is, therefore, an essential element of |
| preliminary study to investigate whether a | | | | therapy. Unfortunately, the conventional |
| plant-based diet, reinforced with | | | | treatments to prevent recurrence, such as |
| stress-management training, could prevent or | | | | hormone therapy, cause many undesirable side |
| lessen a rise in PSA among ten men with | | | | effects, such as hot flashes, loss of libido, and loss |
| recurrent prostate cancer. | | | | of bone mass. |
| The men and their spouses or other support | | | | "These findings have significant therapeutic |
| person participated in intensive group and individual | | | | potential for recurrent prostate cancer," concluded |
| diet and stress-reduction trainings. The men were | | | | Dr. Saxe. "A natural dietary- and lifestyle-based |
| taught to shift their diet to more whole grains, | | | | approach may serve as an adjunct or alternative |
| vegetables, fruit, and legumes and to eat less | | | | to hormonal therapy. |
| meat, dairy, and refined carbohydrates (such as | | | | |