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Diet, Stress
Reduction May Slow Prostate Tumors
Source:
phoenix5.org/articles/Reuters1204dietStress.html
Tuesday December 4, 2001
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low-fat, high-fiber diet coupled with stress
reduction may slow the growth of prostate tumors, results of a small study
suggest.
Researchers found that a plant-based diet combined with a stress reduction
program lowered the rate at which prostate specific antigen (PSA) increased in 8
of 10 men over 4 months. Levels of PSA, a protein produced by the prostate, are
used to screen for cancer.
According to the report in the December issue of The Journal of Urology,
more than one third of men treated for prostate cancer will have a recurrence
marked by elevated PSA levels within 10 years. And in many of these men, the
cancer will spread to other parts of the body.
Several studies suggest that the Western diet, marked by a high intake of
saturated fat from meat and dairy and a low intake of fiber from fruits and
vegetables, is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer and more
malignant tumors. There is also preliminary evidence that after it develops,
prostate cancer may be "sensitive" to diet. A possible explanation is
that low-fat, high-fiber diets can reduce levels of male hormones circulating in
the blood, according to the researchers.
These new findings suggest a way for prostate cancer patients to modify risk
factors for tumor progression while minimizing risk factors for heart disease
and diabetes, and improving their quality of life, Dr. Gordon A. Saxe, from the
University of California, San Diego, and colleagues report. [An abstract if
below.]
"Our small study provides evidence that a plant-based diet delivered in the
context of (a stress-reduction program) decreases the rate of PSA increase and
may slow the rate of tumor progression in cases of...recurrent prostate cancer," they
conclude.
The 10 study volunteers, who had all undergone radical prostatectomy, or removal
of the prostate, were in the early stages of recurrent prostate cancer. They
received individual nutrition counseling and followed a diet rich in whole
grains, legumes, fresh vegetables, soy-based food and fruit. Caffeine,
animal-based foods and processed and refined foods were strictly limited.
Patients also participated in 12 weekly group stress-reduction sessions lasting
3 to 4 hours. The patients were accompanied by someone close to them, in most
cases a spouse.
After 4 months, the rate of tumor progression was found to have slowed in 8 of
the 10. In three men, PSA levels had actually decreased, according to the
report. All men lost weight.
Saxe and colleagues suggest that future research try to confirm the findings and
investigate the mechanism by which diet and stress reduction might prolong the
lives of men with recurrent prostate cancer.
SOURCE: The
Journal of Urology 2001;166:2202-2207.
THE ABSTRACT
CAN DIET IN CONJUNCTION WITH STRESS REDUCTION AFFECT THE RATE OF INCREASE IN
PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN AFTER BIOCHEMICAL RECURRENCE OF PROSTATE CANCER?
GORDON A. SAXE; JAMES R. HEBERT; JAMES F. CARMODY; JON KABAT-ZINN; PENNY H.
ROSENZWEIG; DAVID JARZOBSKI; GEORGE W. REED; ROBERT D. BLUTE
Purpose: Epidemiological and laboratory evidence indicates that
a Western diet is associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
Specific components of the diet, such as high saturated fat, low fiber and high
meat content, may have greatest clinical significance in the later stages of
tumor promotion and progression.
However, departure
from the conventional diet is difficult to initiate and maintain. Therefore, we
combined the well-known Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with a
low saturated fat, high-fiber, plant-based diet to determine the effect on the
rate of change in prostate specific antigen (PSA) in patients with biochemical
recurrence after prostatectomy.
Materials and Methods: We enrolled 10 men and their partners in
a 4-month group-based diet and MBSR intervention. A pre-study post-study design
in which each subject served as his own control was used to compare the rate of
increase in and doubling time of PSA before and after intervention.
Results: The rate of PSA increase decreased in 8 of 10 men,
while 3 had a decrease in absolute PSA. Results of the signed rank test
indicated a significant decrease in the rate of increase in the intervention
period (p = 0.01). Estimated median doubling time increased from 6.5 months (95%
confidence interval 3.7 to 10.1) before to 17.7 months (95% confidence interval
7.8 to infinity) after the intervention.
Conclusions: Our small study provides evidence that a
plant-based diet delivered in the context of MBSR decreases the rate of PSA
increase and may slow the rate of tumor progression in cases of biochemically
recurrent prostate cancer. Larger-scale randomized studies are warranted to
explore further the preventive and therapeutic potential of diet and lifestyle
modification in men with prostate cancer.
 Aloha From Hawaii!
Diet
and Stress Reduction May Help in Prostate Cancer
 Aloha
and Mahalo!
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