January 07, 2021 BY HEATHER
ALEXANDER
The Mediterranean diet can help reduce your risk for
many diseases. It helps prevent heart disease and strokes, and
has been linked to a lower risk for many cancers.
Now researchers at MD Anderson have found that this
largely plant-based diet may also slow prostate cancer progression.
That’s important news for prostate cancer patients who
often put off treatment to avoid
its impact on their quality of life.
“Men who get treated can have changes to their quality
of life, including erectile, urinary or bowel function,” says Justin Gregg, M.D., assistant professor of
Urology and lead author of the study. “Anything that would slow the
progression, and possibly lower the risk of needing radical treatment, has the
potential to be very beneficial.”
The study, published in Cancer, used a nine-point score to rate how
closely each man followed the diet. Every one point increase in diet score was
associated with a more than 10% drop in risk for prostate tumor progression.
Here’s what to know about the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet includes all
food groups
The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional
eating patterns of people living in Greece, Italy, South of France and some
Middle Eastern countries. It does not restrict fat or carbohydrates; instead,
it focuses on whole foods in their most natural form. For example, processed
meats and added sugars are discouraged.
The idea is to fill your plate mostly with vegetables,
whole grains, fruits, legumes and healthy fats from olive oil, nuts and
fish.
You don’t need to eat specially prepared Mediterranean
recipes or flavors. You can make any meal you like focusing on these food
groups.
“It's emphasizing the plant over the animal,” says Carrie Daniel-MacDougall, Ph.D.,
associate professor of Epidemiology and senior author of the study. “And it's
not low carb. You still get a vast majority of your energy needs met through
carbohydrates, but they're high quality, unprocessed carbohydrates that contain
protein and good fat.”
These foods work together to reduce your
risk for disease.
“This holistic approach to eating is
better than focusing on one component, like olive or fish oil,” says
Daniel-MacDougall. “It doesn't work that way. It's taking out the bad things
and putting in the good things in concert together.”
The link between
inflammation, cholesterol and prostate cancer
Research shows that progression of some
prostate cancers is linked to inflammation and may also depend on certain types
of lipids. This may be why the Mediterranean diet is so helpful.
“We know that the Mediterranean diet
lowers systemic levels of inflammation,” says Gregg. “It also likely
increases antioxidants, and
it lowers levels of some lipids in the body.”
The diet is full of anti-inflammatory
foods and healthy fats that reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good
cholesterol (HDL).
The foods you eat affect your body on
multiple levels. And it’s not possible to replicate the benefits of healthy
foods with supplements, says
Daniel-MacDougall.
“There are actually biological ways that
all the different components of vegetables work together to form a perfect
package that your body can efficiently absorb,” she says. “They’re put together
with the phytochemicals, the
micronutrients, antioxidants and
different types of fiber. Nature has
made it that way, and that’s still the best way for us to consume it.”
The Mediterranean diet
is safe
More research is needed before a
Mediterranean diet is prescribed for patients with prostate cancer or other
diseases.
But, says Gregg, this diet is safe, easy
to follow and may also reduce your risk for conditions like heart disease and
stroke.
“If patients ask me what they should eat,
I tell them about this work. It is exciting data,” says Gregg. “This study
makes a clear case for future research about the Mediterranean diet.”
Request an appointment at MD
Anderson online or by calling 1-866-604-1754.
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