Mediterranean Diet Tied to Lower Risk for Prostate Cancer Progression

THURSDAY, Jan. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer on active surveillance, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedD) is associated with a lower risk for Gleason grade group progression, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in Cancer.

Justin R. Gregg, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues examined adherence to the MedD and Gleason score progression in a cohort of 410 men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer on an active surveillance protocol. Participants completed a baseline food frequency questionnaire, and the MedD score was calculated across nine energy-adjusted food groups.

The researchers found that 76 men progressed during a median follow-up of 36 months. Higher adherence to the MedD correlated with a lower risk for Gleason grade group progression after adjustment for clinical factors among all men (hazard ratio [HR] per one-unit increase in MedD score, 0.88; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 1.01), non-White men (HR, 0.64; 95 percent CI, 0.45 to 0.92; P for interaction = 0.07), and men without diabetes (HR, 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.71 to 0.96; P for interaction = 0.03). The risk reduction was similar among men with high MedD scores who did not use statins compared with men with low/moderate MedD scores with no statin use.

“Our findings suggest that consistently following a diet rich in plant foods, fish, and a healthy balance of monounsaturated fats may be beneficial for men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer,” Gregg said in a statement.

One author disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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