To Your Health
February, 2018 (Vol. 12, Issue 02) |
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The Diet That Feeds Prostate Cancer
By Editorial Staff
Abundant research suggests your diet can influence the development of cancer, so it stands to reason that the foods you eat if you're suffering from cancer could impact the course of the disease.
If you think we're just speculating, don't take our word for it; consider the latest research on the subject, which suggests your diet could influence whether a man survives prostate cancer or succumbs to it.
Prostate cancer's ability to spread is impacted by diet, suggest researchers in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Genetics. In particular, cancer cells that have an available supply of fat tend to become more aggressive and spread beyond the prostate itself, increasing the health risk to the cancer sufferer. This is particularly significant when it comes to prostate cancer because the disease often confines itself to the prostate gland, where it can be more easily treated. According to the researchers, a high-fat diet may increase the odds that a specific gene within the prostate will shut down – a gene that seems to help keep the cancer from spreading beyond the prostate.
Unfortunately, in the study, the researchers defined "high-fat diet" as the Western diet consumed by the majority of Americans these days. Bad news for men. The good news: Your doctor can help identify dietary and other lifestyle risks that increase your odds of developing prostate cancer, and then help you make changes that will not only help you avoid prostate cancer, but various other health risks. Now that's a win-win for your health.
