April 15
— A new study reports that a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains
and beans, coupled with exercise and meditation, can help slow, stop, or
even reverse prostate cancer for men in the early stages of the
disease.
Dr. Dean
Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of
California-San Francisco, led the study. Ornish, who is best known for
his support of low-fat diets in reversing heart disease, is now
contending that diet changes could also help reverse prostate cancer.
A group of
men in Ornish's study underwent drastic diet and lifestyle changes, then
saw reduced levels after three months of a blood marker for the disease.
The marker, known as prostate specific antigens or PSA, is a protein
produced by the prostate gland. High levels in a man's bloodstream can
indicate prostate disorders, including non-cancerous enlargement of the
prostate or prostate cancer.
Participating
in Ornish's study required quite a change of menu for men who like
high-fat foods like cheeseburgers and fries. The Ornish diet is
extremely low-fat, with just 10 percent of the participants' nutritional
intake coming from fat, according to the author of Eat More, Weigh Less,
who presented his findings over the weekend at a conference on
alternative therapies held at Harvard University.
"It is
a vegan diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and soy
products instead of dairy," Ornish told ABCNEWS' Good Morning
America. "They exercised three hours a week and they did an hour of
meditation or other stress-management techniques every day. They also
took part in a weekly support group."
No
Harm in Diet Changes
Since
patients in the study had already opted to "watch and wait,"
rather than undergo standard treatments
like surgery and radiation, there is no harm to Ornish's regimen,
ABCNEWS' Dr. Tim Johnson said.
"In
such a group, there's nothing to lose and possibly something to
gain," Johnson said. "I say 'possibly' because it's too early
to tell after just one year of follow-up. The key will be over whether
longer follow-up there is a survival difference in the two groups,"
he said.
Still,
Johnson warned that patients who need radiation or surgery should not
interpret the study as a sign that they can simply diet and exercise
their way to health, when that may not be the case.
"This
is not a replacement for traditional therapy when that's indicated or a
replacement for regular PSA screening to detect early prostate
cancer," Johnson added.
Are
Results Significant Enough?
Every year,
nearly 200,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the
disease kills 30,000 men annually. Those who survive face difficult
treatment choices: either surgery or radiation, strategies that do not
always work, and can cause impotence and incontinence.
Ornish's
study looked at 84 men who were in the early stages of prostate cancer.
None had elected to treat the disease with surgery or radiation. Half of
them did not make any diet or lifestyle changes, while the other half
adopted a low-fat diet and started moderate exercise.
At three
months, researchers measured the subjects' PSAs, which will be measured
again after one year. In just three months, the group with the low-fat
diet and exercise changes saw their PSA's drop 6.5 percent, Ornish said.
Those in the group who stuck closest to the diet and exercise regimen
saw their PSA levels drop 9 percent.
After three
months, the group that did not make the diet and lifestyle changes had
higher levels of the blood marker, suggesting that the disease
progressed.
Many
oncologists say that a decrease in PSAs of anything less than 50 percent
is insignificant. But Ornish maintains it is statistically significant,
adding that patients don't need the PSA to go down, but do need it to
stop from going up.
"If
diet and lifestyle can not only stop it from getting worse, but reverse
progress of the disease, there are certainly implications that this may
help prevent prostate cancer," Ornish said. The findings may have
implications for the treatment of breast cancer, too, he said.
The subjects
will continue to be studied over four years to see how they fare, Ornish
said. Future studies will look at how the program works in preventing
recurrence in those who have been treated, and whether it works in
preventing primary prostate cancer, in addition to reducing high PSAs.
Ornish said
he does not encourage patients to use his regimen instead of
conventional treatment, but says they should discuss the matter with
their doctors. Even if they decide to go with conventional treatment,
however, he said they may want to consider his program as an adjunct.
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