Prostate
Diet modification and stress reduction may attenuate progression of prostate cancer
By Integrative Cancer Therapies
Aug 15, 2006, 22:18

Statistics say that one out of six American men will develop prostate cancer and more than a third of them will experience a recurrence after undergoing treatment, putting them at high risk to die of the disease. In a recent study published in SAGE publication's Integrative Cancer Therapies, Dr. Gordon A. Saxe and colleagues at the Moores Cancer Center and School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego found that diet changes, reinforced by stress management training, appeared to be effective in slowing or halting the spread of this deadly cancer.

The study, published in the September issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies, focused on the change in the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an indicator of the cancer, in response to a plant-based diet and stress reduction. Patients were taught to increase consumption of plant-based foods such as whole grains, cruciferous and leafy green vegetables, beans and legumes, and fruit, and to decrease the intake of meat, dairy products, and refined carbohydrates. They were also provided with stress management training, which incorporated meditation, yoga and Tai Chi exercises. The plant-based diet and stress reduction were effective in significantly reducing the PSA rate, indicating a reduction in the rate of progression of the prostate cancer.

"The magnitude of effect of these findings is the strongest observed to date among dietary and nutritional interventions in this patient population," states Dr. Saxe, assistant professor of Family and Preventive Medicine. "These results provide preliminary evidence that adoption of a plant-based diet, in combination with stress reduction, may attenuate disease progression and have therapeutic potential for management of recurrent prostate cancer."

The article "Potential Attenuation of Disease Progression in Recurrent Prostate Cancer Progression With Plant-based Diet and Stress Reduction" can be accessed at no-charge for a limited time on the SAGE Publications' Integrative Cancer Therapies web site at http://ict.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/5/3/206.


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