Diet

A Finnish study found that heavy regular alcohol consumption and binge drinking during midlife were significantly associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer risk. Men who were heavy drinkers (>14 drinks/week) were at a 46% higher risk of prostate cancer compared to those who were light drinkers (≤ 3 drinks/week). Among current drinkers, binge drinkers – defined as consuming 5 or more drinks in one sitting at least once per month – were at a 28% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to non-binge drinkers. Abstinence was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality compared to light

In a small study in 2006, University of California researchers found that drinking a daily 227ml glass of pomegranate juice significantly slowed the progress of prostate cancer — it’s thought urolithins block cancer cell growth. Now a U.S. trial involving 30 patients is looking at whether supplements containing the fruit’s extract can prevent prostate cancer spreading. Read the article here.

Some research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may slow the progression of prostate cancer Read the article.

Researchers in the U.K. and Germany report that lycopene, a carotenoid pigment present in tomatoes, can protect human lymphoid cells against the harmful effects of gamma radiation during radiation therapy, a common treatment for cancer, and could be used as a dietary intervention. Read the article.

Mediterranean diet has been reported to significantly reduce mortality rates for various chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Although many observational studies have supported this evidence, dietary intervention studies using a Mediterranean dietary pattern or its selected food components are still limited and affected by a rather large variability in characteristics of study subjects, type and length of intervention, selected end-points and statistical analysis. Read the article.

A new study conducted by the American Society for Nutrition reveals that eating a lot of processed carbohydrates and sugary drinks augment the risk of certain cancers such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. Processed carbohydrates in sweet food and snacks as well as sugary drinks like juices and soda may not directly ’cause’ cancer but the connection between those types of food and the increased risk in prostate and breast cancer are hard to ignore. Read the article.

Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? That’s a question men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer often ask their doctors. Investigators have launched a national study to see whether a diet that’s higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods than the typical Western diet will help control tumor growth in men with early-stage prostate cancer. Read the article.