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A California
researcher reports that a study of 84 men suggests that a low-fat diet,
plus lifestyle changes, may slow or reverse the progression of prostate
cancer in patients with early-stage disease.
Dr. Dean Ornish, a
University of California, San Francisco professor and cardiologist who has
long promoted low-fat diets to combat heart disease, presented his
findings at the Harvard University Scientific Conference on Complementary,
Alternative & Integrative Medicine.
The men in the
study, all newly diagnosed with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels
between 4 and 10 and "moderate" Gleason scores of under 7,
decided to forego medical treatments and employ a strategy known as
"watchful waiting."
Half the men were
assigned to a control group in which their condition was simply monitored.
The other half adopted Ornish's regimen of lifestyle changes, including a
low-fat diet consisting mostly of plant-based foods such as fruits,
vegetables, grains, beans, and soybeans. Participants also walked a half
hour a day, took part in daily stress reduction exercises such as yoga,
meditation or stretching, and attended a weekly support group meeting.
While those in the
control group saw no changes in their PSA scores after three months, those
in the Ornish program saw their scores drop, on average, from 6.3 to 5.7,
he reported. After one year, the scores of those in the control group had
increased, while those of the subjects in the Ornish group remained lower.
None of the men in
the low-fat diet group underwent surgery or radiation during the study
period, but seven of those in the control group did.
A number of cancer
specialists suggested that the study be viewed with caution.
Dr. Joel B. Nelson,
chairman of urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,
observed that the number of men in the study was small and the results did
not show that anyone was cured.
"Although a
decline in production of PSA would be consistent with a tumor that is
behaving in [a non-aggressive] fashion, it certainly doesn't prove that
the cancer wouldn't progress," he said.
Ornish himself said
he was not encouraging patients to use his program instead of conventional
treatment, but said they might want to discuss it with their doctors and
consider it as a possible adjunct to their treatment.
Source: Prostate
Cancer Week of April 21, 2002 |
