Prostate cancer

Milk increases risk…

Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology Unit, at the University of Oxford suggest that high intakes of protein or calcium from dairy products may increase the risk of prostate cancer. They looked at consumption of animal foods, protein and calcium and the incidence of prostate cancer in over 140,000 men. After nearly nine years, there were 2,727 cases of prostate cancer. A high intake of dairy protein was associated with an increased risk. Calcium from dairy products was also positively associated with risk, but not calcium from other foods. The results suggest that a high intake of protein or calcium from dairy products may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Vegan diet fights it…

A low-fat vegan diet combined with yoga and exercise can help fight prostate cancer a new study from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California shows. Biopsies taken from 30 patients with low-risk prostate cancer were examined. The levels of genes expressed before and after three months of dietary and lifestyle changes were measured. They found that a diet low in fat and rich in fruit and vegetables with regular moderate exercise switched on genes that fight disease and turned off others that promote cancer. Earlier work showed how changes in diet could slow prostate cancer. This study shows, for the first time, how diet may affect genes involved in tumour progression.

_{Allen, N.E. et al., 2008. Animal foods, protein, calcium and prostate cancer risk: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. British Journal of Cancer. 98 (9) 1574-1581.}

_{Ornish, D., Magbanua, M.J.M., Weidner, G., Weinberg, V., Kemp, C., Green, C., Mattie, M.D., Marlin R., Simko, J., Shinohara, K., Haqq, C.M., and Carroll, PR. 2008. Changes in prostate gene expression in men undergoing an intensive nutrition and lifestyle intervention. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (24) 8369-8374.}