Vegan Diet and Lifestyle Changes Slow Prostate Cancer

A new study by Dean Ornish, M.D., shows the power of diet and lifestyle changes to improve cancer survival. In a group of men with prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels—a marker that tracks prostate cancer growth—decreased by 4 percent after one year on a low-fat vegan diet, complemented by moderate aerobic exercise and stress management. (The diet was supplemented with soy, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin C.) It is unusual for PSA levels to decrease without treatment. A control group made up of people who stayed on their usual diet saw its PSA levels rise by 6 percent. In addition, six of the men in the control group needed treatment during the one-year study period because their prostate cancer was progressing, but no one in the experimental group needed treatment. Previous studies have shown that consumption of dietary fat and dairy products increases prostate cancer risk, while compounds in tomatoes, soy, and cruciferous vegetables protect against the disease.

Ornish D, Weidner G, Fair WR, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes may affect the progression of prostate cancer. J Urol. 2005;174:1065-1070.

Cancer Project News, October 2005

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