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August 18, 2006

Dietary change slows PSA rise

A report published in the September, 2006 issue of the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies revealed the finding of Gordon A Saxe, MD, PhD and colleagues at the Moores Cancer Center and School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego that adopting a plant based diet and lowering stress is associated with a reduction in prostate cancer progression as indicated by prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. PSA is a blood marker for prostate cancer whose values are used to indicate the possibility of prostate cancer as well as to track the progression of the disease following treatment.

Fourteen men with recurrent prostate cancer were instructed to consume more plant based foods such as whole grains, cruciferous and leafy green vegetables, beans and legumes and fruit, and to consume less meat, dairy products and refined carbohydrates. The patients received stress management instruction which included meditation and Tai Chi techniques. PSA levels were analyzed from the time of recurrence until the start of the study, and from the baseline of the study to its conclusion after six months.

Dr. Saxe's team found a significant decrease in PSA rise occurring from the start of the study through the six month study period. Of the ten evaluable patients, four experienced a reduction in PSA levels, and 9 had reductions in their PSA rise and PSA doubling time improvement. The median PSA doubling time increased from 11.9 months to 112.3 months following the dietary changes.

"The magnitude of effect of these findings is the strongest observed to date among dietary and nutritional interventions in this patient population," Dr. Saxe stated. "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."

Integrative Cancer Therapies