JAMA Netw Open

Consuming a plant-based diet may reduce risk of prostate cancer progression

May 9, 2024

In this cohort study of 2,062 predominantly White men with prostate cancer, higher intake of plant foods after prostate cancer diagnosis was associated with lower risk of cancer progression—leading researchers to suggest that nutritional assessment and counseling may be recommended to patients with prostate cancer to help establish healthy dietary practices and support well-being and overall health.

• Participants (median age 65) completed a comprehensive diet and lifestyle questionnaire (including a validated food frequency questionnaire [FFQ]) between 2004 and 2016. Overall plant-based diet index (PDI) and healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) scores were calculated from the FFQ.
• Median time from prostate cancer diagnosis to FFQ was 31.3 months after diagnosis; during a median follow-up of 6.5 years after the FFQ, 190 progression events and 61 prostate cancer–specific mortality events were observed.
• Men scoring in the highest vs. lowest quintile of PDI had a 47% lower risk of progression (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.74; P for trend = .003).
• There was no association for healthful PDI and risk for progression overall. However, among 680 individuals with Gleason grade 7 or higher at diagnosis, the highest hPDI quintile was associated with a 55% lower risk of progression compared with the lowest hPDI quintile (HR 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.81; P for trend = .01); no association was observed in individuals with Gleason grade less than 7.

Source:

Liu VN, et al. (2024, May 1). JAMA Netw Open. Plant-Based Diets and Disease Progression in Men With Prostate Cancer. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38691361/