Healthy Diet Hacks To Keep Cancer In Check
A new study suggests that maintaining a healthy diet can help control prostate cancer, especially in its early stages. Researchers found that men who follow healthier eating patterns are less likely to experience progression of low-grade prostate cancer into more dangerous forms. The findings, published on October 17 in JAMA Oncology, show that with every 12.5-point increase in a healthy eating score (ranging from 0 to 100), men had a 15% reduced chance of their grade 1 prostate cancer progressing to grade 2, and a 30% lower risk of progression to grade 3 or higher.
Dr. Christian Pavlovich, co-senior researcher and professor of urologic oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, highlighted that while past research has explored the relationship between diet and prostate cancer, this study is among the first to present statistically significant evidence linking a healthier diet with reduced cancer progression. The study monitored 886 men diagnosed with grade 1 prostate cancer, a form that is slow-growing and closely resembles normal tissue. These men, diagnosed between 2005 and 2017, completed dietary questionnaires, which were used to calculate their Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores.
The HEI score reflects how well an individual’s diet aligns with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dr. Zhuo Tony Su, lead researcher, explained that they evaluated whether men with higher HEI scores were less likely to see their cancer progress to a more severe grade over time. After an average follow-up period of 6.5 years, around 21% of the participants had their cancer progress to grade 2 or higher, while 6% progressed to grade 3 or higher. The results indicated that men who adhered to a healthier diet were less likely to experience such grade reclassifications.
Co-senior author Bruce Trock, a professor of urology, epidemiology, and oncology at Johns Hopkins, confirmed that there was a significant link between high-quality diets and lower cancer progression risk. He added that better dietary habits may help prevent low-grade prostate cancers from advancing to stages that would require more aggressive treatments. The study’s authors suggested that the anti-inflammatory effects of a healthy diet could play a role in slowing cancer progression.
Though the findings are promising, Dr. Pavlovich emphasized that further studies with more diverse populations are needed to confirm the association between diet and reduced cancer progression. In the meantime, the results may offer valuable guidance for men undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer, encouraging them to adopt healthier dietary habits.
Discussion about this post