To assess if following dietary and lifestyle
recommendations reduces risk of prostate cancer, researchers at the
Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford looked at the diets and lifestyle
of 1,806 men aged between 50 and 69 with prostate cancer and compared with
12,005 cancer-free men.
The NIHR-funded study, published in the
medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the
first study of its kind to develop a prostate cancer 'dietary index' which
consists of dietary components – selenium, calcium and foods rich in lycopene –
that have been linked to prostate cancer.
Men who had optimal intake of these three
dietary components had a lower risk of prostate cancer.
Tomatoes and its products – such as tomato
juice and baked beans - were shown to be most beneficial, with an 18 per cent
reduction in risk found in men eating over 10 portions a week.
This is thought to be due to lycopene, an
antioxidant which fights off toxins that can cause DNA and cell damage. Vanessa
Er, from the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of
Bristol and Bristol Nutrition BRU, led the research.
She said: "Our findings suggest that
tomatoes may be important in prostate cancer prevention. However, further
studies need to be conducted to confirm our findings, especially through human
trials. Men should still eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, maintain
a healthy weight and stay active."
The researchers also looked at the
recommendations on physical activity, diet and body weight for cancer
prevention published by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American
Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).
Only the recommendation on plant foods –
high intake of fruits, vegetables and dietary fibre - was found to be
associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. As these recommendations are
not targeted at prostate cancer prevention, researchers concluded that adhering
to these recommendations is not sufficient and that additional dietary
recommendations should be developed.
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