Low-fat, plant-based diets may help prevent or slow the progression

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Low-fat,

plant-based diets may help prevent or slow the progression

 

" Low-fat, vegetarian diet may stall prostate

cancer " , Reuters,

September 11, 2007,

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTON17435520070911

 

 

Low-fat, plant-based diets may help prevent or slow the

progression of

prostate cancer, according to a new research review.

 

A number of studies, though not all, have suggested

that eating plenty

of fruits and vegetables may help ward off prostate

cancer, while

" Western " -style diets heavy in animal fat and

dairy products may

increase a man's risk of developing the disease.

 

In the current study, researchers reviewed 25

previously published

studies that examined the effects of plant-based diets on

prostate

cancer development or progression.

 

Overall, the evidence suggests that diets high in

fiber, fruits and

vegetables, and low in meat and dairy, can help battle

the disease,

they report in the journal Nutrition Reviews.

 

For example, several studies of men with prostate

cancer have linked

high saturated fat intake to faster disease progression

and a higher

risk of death. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal

products.

In contrast, some small trials have found that a

high-fiber, low-fat

vegetarian diet may slow the growth and spread of

early-stage prostate

tumors. Some other studies have suggested that components

of plant-

based foods -- like certain antioxidants or soy

isoflavones -- might

be beneficial.

 

" For men diagnosed with prostate cancer, the key

to improving the odds

of survival is avoiding high-fat fare and instead

choosing fruits,

vegetables, beans and other cancer-fighting vegetarian

foods, " lead

study author Dr. Susan Berkow said in a statement.

Berkow is with George Mason University in Alexandria,

Virginia, and

serves as a consultant to Physicians Committee for

Responsible

Medicine, a group that advocates vegetarian and vegan

diets.

 

Berkow and her colleagues speculate that the fiber and

other nutrients

found in plant-based diets may affect prostate cancer by

altering

levels of certain hormones that can feed tumor

development, including

testosterone and insulin.

 

he balance of fats in a man's diet may also be key, the

researchers

point out. Some studies have found that omega-3 fatty

acids may help

stall prostate cancer progression. Omega-3 fats are found

largely in

oily fish, but also in some vegetable sources, like

flaxseeds and

canola oil.

 

SOURCE: Nutrition Reviews, September 2007.