Diet to help fight prostate cancer?

Few things can make a man feel less in control of his life than being told he has cancer. But making healthier choices — including what food you eat — can help you regain some control, and make you feel better in the process.

Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? That’s a question men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer often ask their doctors.

Several studies have shown that in countries where men eat a typical “Western” diet containing a large amount of meat, the incidence of prostate cancer, especially aggressive prostate cancer, is higher than in countries where plant-based foods are a primary part of the diet. Unfortunately, these studies weren’t designed to prove cause and effect. So for now, definitive answers about prostate cancer and diet aren’t yet in — although researchers are actively studying this topic.

Investigators have launched a federally funded 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.

Participants in the Men’s Eating and Living (MEAL) Study will try to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily — significantly more than the three to four servings consumed each day by the typical American man — as well as two servings of whole grains and one serving of beans or other legumes.

This clinical trial will include men 50-80 years old who have small, low-grade tumors and who have opted to have their condition followed closely (active surveillance) rather than undergoing immediate treatment. Researchers will randomly assign participants to telephone counseling about how to achieve the dietary MEAL goals or to a control group that receives standard dietary advice for Americans.

During the two-year study, the investigators will collect blood samples to assess levels of antioxidants and nutrients, and then monitor the men with PSA tests and prostate biopsies to determine whether the cancer is progressing. A pilot study showed the approach is workable, and that with enough telephone prompting, men can increase their intake of vegetables and other healthy foods. To learn more about the larger phase III MEAL Study, or to enroll, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov .

If you’d like to try to implement the MEAL eating plan on your own, you can find the basics below.

What the MEAL diet looks like If you would like to try the MEAL diet on your own, here is a sample daily menu that includes nine servings of vegetables and fruits, as well as whole grains and legumes.

Breakfast Whole-grain cereal with at least ½ cup to 1 cup berries plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of almonds or walnuts Mid-morning snack 1 apple or orange, or ½ cup baby carrot sticks or broccoli florets dipped in hummus Lunch Tuna (or salmon or sardine) sandwich on whole-grain bread loaded up with lettuce (the darker the better for a greater nutrient punch) and tomato Bean-based soup, such as lentil, or chili made with black or pinto beans Mid-afternoon snack A medium banana, orange, bowl of grapes, or other fruit

Dinner Rice (preferably brown) studded with at least ½ cup chopped carrots or other vegetable such as cauliflower or spinach, possibly garnished with 2 to 3 ounces of beef, poultry, or fish or pasta with marinara sauce containing a little ground turkey and grated carrots, and sprinkled with 1 tablespoon grated cheese with at least 2 cups tossed salad featuring cruciferous vegetables (arugula, cabbage) and/or dark greens like spinach plus other vegetables of choice and a vinaigrette dressing Evening snack ½ grapefruit or other fruit or a couple of whole-wheat crackers dipped in hummus, peanut butter, or tabbouleh

(Courtesy: Healthbeat)