Since there is ongoing research indicating that some food & nutrition approaches show promise in dealing with prostate cancer prevention, incidence & progression, treatment, and survivorship, this blog post series is dedicated to those seeking that type of information.
Sometimes the silver lining in the clouds winds up actually revealing the benefit of a rainbow…read on for more details…
(Rainbow image courtesy of Photonut via rgbstock.com)
Remembering the mission of this site, the following information is considered “infotainment” ONLY and nothing more.
Please remember to ALWAYS discuss any potential changes in dietary intake, including supplement use, with any patient’s state licensed/certified health care practitioner(s) as ultimately any patient is under their medical care and if multiple practitioners are involved, hopefully there exists a coordinated care plan to address the needs of the total person.
Achieving any prudent improvement of nutritional status before, during and/or after hospitalization for diagnosis and/or treatment related to prostate cancer and then maintaining the improved status is also very important for survivorship time to make it the best quality time possible.
Consideration of any supplement needs to be in the context of the treatment approach being used in each person’s individual case.
All medical and medical nutrition therapy (MNT) information and actual advice MUST come through a patient’s care providers licensed to work with him and practice in the state where the patient lives with communication between those practitioners and coordinated care planning through those practitioners.
Before mentioning the list of food & nutrition focus items to consider, it would also be prudent to mention that there is material you can read on the www concerning self-monitoring, stress reduction, stimulus control, and social support, which are all part of the larger picture of any person dealing with any cancer, including prostate cancer.
These approaches can be helpful whether or not the person is receiving Western Medicine therapies such as Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT), chemotherapy, prostatectomy, radiation treatment, or a combination of those therapies in regard to any diagnosis of prostate cancer.
It has also been observed that aerobic exercise, including swimming, walking, and in some cases where possible, even cycling, has actually provided significant improvement in physical functioning with NO increase in fatigue as compared to “rest and relaxation” approaches when treating patients with prostate cancer.
It has been suggested that aerobic, endurance exercise may help to eliminate inflammatory molecules that drive cancer progression by increasing the body’s natural level of circulating antioxidants. Aerobic exercise has also been linked to improving mood and mental clarity, and even helping patients who are receiving any chemotherapy treatments to complete them possibly by fighting fatigue and by making them feel better overall.
Sometimes an integrative medicine therapy approach is used in care delivery and it may also involve the use of complementary therapies of biofeedback, massage, meditation, music therapy, reflexology, T’ai Chi, yoga, and even in some instances if ok’d by one’s physician(s) the use of acupuncture in combination with the Western Medicine therapies mentioned above.
Remember that food and nutrition approaches can also be an integral part of integrative and functional medicine as well.
–Lay persons can obtain information concerning certain supplements from Consumer Lab
–Some recipes worth checking out can be found in a number of locations, including at:
- The American Institute for Cancer Research
- The Prostate Cancer Foundation
- The University of Arizona Cancer Center
- The American Cancer Society
- The University of Texas MDAnderson Cancer Center
–The National Cancer Institute (under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health) has many fact sheets available to the public.
–A Glossary of terms related to Cancer can be found at the website of the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). (See Glossary: AICR’s FOODS THAT FIGHT CANCER™ page) which obtained its info from the National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms.
–Emotional support can be found at a variety of locations, including Caring 4 Cancer
General points to keep in mind:
1. Limiting one’s intake of processed & refined foods is generally considered prudent as typically they are lower in overall nutrient content as well as being lower in dietary fiber.
2. It has been theorized that a healthier diet may help to enhance immune system functioning, increase energy levels, inhibit prostate cancer growth, reduce the risk of concurrent chronic disease development/incidence (heart disease and/or diabetes), and facilitate recovery and enable the body to decrease the negative potential toxicities of some treatment modalities.
3. It is known that a high fat diet stimulates increased testosterone levels, which are associated with prostate cancer cell growth. Overall, a general recommendation found in the literature might be to aim for 20% of one’s total calories coming from fat sources, with less than 8% of total calories coming from saturated fat sources. Overall in the diet, actual choices in sources of the fat intake might overshadow the exact total fat intake. This approach might also remind you of a heart healthier diet.
We’ll cover more about fats, etc. in part 3 of 4 in this blog post series.
4. Antioxidants (general and specific) and anti-inflammatory agents (sulforaphane, isothiocynanates, indoles, allyl sulfides) can be quite important so a general rule of thumb is to aim to eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables/day and preferably 8-10 servings/day coming from very colorful fruits & vegetables. This might work out to be eating 1 or more cups of vegetables with at least 2 meals each day.
Look for darker shades of color within the rainbow of colors of fruits and vegetables that remind one of jewel tone colors which have great depth and richness of color. One “serving” of fruits & vegetables in this specific context would be equivalent to about 1/2 cup of a cooked/canned fruit or vegetable; 1 cup of raw, leafy greens that are dark/deep green in color; 1/4 cup of a dried fruit or vegetable; or 6 fluid oz of 100% juice (NO salt/sugar added) from a fruit or vegetable.
The following list includes some additional food and nutrition focus items you might want to discuss with any of your health care practitioners. Note that the list is only considered infotainment. It is NOT meant to be exhaustive and it is NOT meant to substitute for personalized nutrition care planning points to be developed in consultation with your health care practitioners, but rather to serve as a stimulus by raising “talking points” you might want to bring up for meaningful dialogue with your health care practitioners.
In part 2 of 4 of this series, some additional details for antioxidants & anti-inflammatory agents will be mentioned.
In part 3 of 4 of this series, additional details for some of the following food and nutrition focus items will be mentioned:
- Dairy, Calcium, and Vitamin D intake
- Fats in general and specific category Omega fatty acids
- Flax seed supplementation
- Glutamine, Prebiotics & Probiotics
- Lean meat and cooking methods
- Lycopene
In part 4 of 4 of this series, additional details for some of the following food and nutrition focus items will be mentioned:
- Medicinal Mushrooms
- Modified citrus pectin
- Polyphenols
- Pomegranates
- Selenium & potential Vitamin E synergistic actions
- Simple sugars
- Soy (and other lean protein sources, including legumes)
- Soy & potential Green Tea synergistic actions
- Turmeric
- Vitamin E
Potential resource pages/sites with food, nutrition, and cancer information include among others, the following:
- Prostate Cancer Overview Article in Medscape
- Prostate Cancer Foundation
- Nutrition, Exercise and Prostate Cancer from the Prostate Cancer Foundation
University of California at San Francisco (UCSF):
- Nutrition and Prostate Cancer Index
- Prostate Cancer & Nutrition Flash Presentation
- Nutrition & Prostate Cancer Patient Guide
- Prostate Cancer Treatment Guide
Other resources:
- Prostate California (from UCSF)
- Palpable-Prostate website
Nature article: Unconventional therapy for prostate cancer: good, bad or questionable? Peter S. Nelson & Bruce Montgomery, Nature Reviews Cancer 3, 845-858 (November 2003) doi:10.1038/nrc1210
Please see blog posts 2,3, and 4 in this continuing series for additional information.
We sincerely hope you find this series to be informative and helpful and please remember to discuss specifics about what they recommend for your individual health status with your health care practitioners.