A recent study published in JAMA Oncology suggests that men with early-stage prostate cancer may be able to slow the progression of their disease by adopting a healthy diet. The study followed 886 men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital between 2005 and 2017. The men were given a questionnaire to evaluate their diets, which was used to give them a "Healthy Eating Index" score based on the quality of their diets.
After 6.5 years, the researchers found that men with higher quality diets were less likely to have their cancer progress compared to those with poorer diets. This study provides statistically significant evidence that a healthy diet is associated with a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer progressing to a higher grade.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the U.S., with around 300,000 cases diagnosed every year. Some men with early-stage prostate cancer are advised to undergo surveillance rather than immediate treatment, as lower-grade tumors may not require immediate intervention.
However, the study had limitations, including a lack of diversity in the study population. The men in the study were predominantly White, with Black and Hispanic/Latino men being underrepresented. Black men are more likely to develop and die from prostate cancer compared to White men, so the results may not be applicable to them.
The researchers acknowledge that future studies with more diverse populations are needed to validate the association between a healthy diet and reduced risk of prostate cancer progression. Despite potential caveats such as self-reported diets and changes in diet over time, the study highlights the potential benefits of a healthy diet in slowing the progression of early-stage prostate cancer.