Want to eat healthier and save the planet? Try becoming a vegetarian. Avoid supporting animal husbandry, which emits large amounts of greenhouse gases, and reduce the likelihood that the foods you eat will develop heart disease and diabetes. Also related to But what about prostate cancer specifically?
Earlier this year, researchers published the results of a comprehensive review of the literature on plant-based diets and prostate cancer risk. They concluded that, in addition to cardiovascular health and quality of life benefits, a plant-based diet may also improve prostate cancer outcomes.Plants include flavonoids, tannins, resveratrol, It contains many cancer-fighting compounds, such as On the other hand, cooking meat (especially red meat and processed meat) creates two types of carcinogens. Heterocyclic amines, which are formed when browning occurs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are formed when grilling or grilling.
The researchers behind this new review reviewed 32 of his studies that assessed the association between a plant-based diet and a reduced risk of prostate cancer. One-third of the studies were observational studies. That is, the study was based on existing information from databases and health registries. The remaining studies were interventional. Subjects enrolled in these studies were prostate cancer patients followed over time to see if dietary changes, exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle interventions lead to better outcomes.
In general, studies tended toward the positive effects of eating a plant-based diet.Most observational studies found that plant eaters were more likely to develop prostate cancer than meat eaters. In addition, 60% of intervention studies reported a slower rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in herbivores than in carnivores. An elevated PSA may indicate that prostate cancer is getting worse or is recurring in men who have already been treated for the disease.
Comments and Background We highlighted the evidence for delayed need for treatment.
However, large-scale clinical trials are still needed to confirm the association, cautioned Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist and the director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In a follow-up editorial this past October, Dr. Freedland and his co-authors emphasized shortcomings in the existing data. For instance, the interventional studies cited in the recent review paper are small (fewer than 100 subjects each), with follow-ups lasting no more than a year, and the observational evidence is hardly unanimous, given that some studies detected no association between prostate cancer risk and vegetarian diets, while others generated mixed results.Yet another problem is lack of consensus on what constitutes a plant-based diet. Definitions can range from extreme vegan, to semi-vegetarian, or primarily plant-based, where some meat consumption is allowed. Indeed, one of the interventions cited in the review was described as “an increase in plant-based food and oily fish and a reduction or elimination of land-animal-based protein.”Despite these limitations, Dr. Freedland described the evidence associating vegetarianism and lower prostate cancer risk as intriguing and encouraging. In the meantime, he advises avoiding obesity is the best lifestyle strategy for reducing overall cancer risk. say.
