The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has eight new lifestyle changes that they strongly recommend for the prevention of prostate cancer. A new study shows that by following these eight lifestyle recommendations, you could significantly reduce your risk of developing a highly aggressive form of prostate cancer. This cancer research was conducted by a team from UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC), and the results have been published in the acclaimed journal, Nutrition and Cancer.
If you have read my last post about fighting breast cancer the natural way, then you’ll remember how important it is to get plenty of exercise and eat smart in order to keep your body healthy and cancer free for the long-run. This is exactly what the WCRF recommends, as their eight lifestyle recommendations highly encouraged the consumption of healthy foods that are low in caloric density (under 125 kilocalories per 100 grams of food) and regular physical fitness.
The Effect of Impact Adherence on Prostate Cancer Risk
This team of clinical investigators was led by Dr. Lenore Arad, an established member of JCCC and a professor in the departments of medicines and biological chemistry at UCLA. Lenore and her team wanted to determine what impact adherence to these recommendations would have on the risk for prostate cancer.
(For this study, the team used Gleason grading system scores and blood levels of prostate-specific antigen in order to identify the aggressiveness of the cancer.)
There were 2,212 white and African American men who enrolled in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. In order to qualify for this research project, these men had to be between the age of 40 and 70 years old and had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Making a Real Adjustment to Prevent Cancer
Lenore’s’s team found that the men who adhered to less than four of the lifestyle recommendations from WCRF had a significantly higher risk (almost 40 percent higher) of developing more aggressive tumors compared to the men that adhered to more than four recommendations. In particular, it was consuming less than 500 grams of red meat on a weekly basis or eating less than 125 total kilocalories per 100 grams of food daily that seemed to have the greatest impact on prostate cancer risk.
Lenore stated that “most men are at risk of prostate cancer, but it is the level of aggressiveness of disease that is most clinically relevant. These findings suggest that even men with prostate cancer can take control of their disease and moderate its aggressiveness through diet and lifestyle choices.” For each additional lifestyle adjustment made by the study participants, the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer decreased by 13 percent.
Previous research has helped to highlight the effects that things like exercising regularly can have when it comes to protecting the body from cancer. Additionally, your diet is one of the most controllable risk factors for prostate diseases and inflammation, including prostatis, benign prostatic hyperplsia (BPH), and prostate cancer. So the next time you’re wondering if its worth it to get a gym membership, remember that you could be protecting yourself from cancer.
