Effects of diet on prostate cancer
January 29, 2005
Studies show men in Japan and China have as much as
90 percent less prostate cancer than American men. With
the large number of immigrants in Hawaii from Japan,
researchers at the University of Hawaii set out to determine
why this difference exists.
Their research involved Japanese-Americans including
first generation immigrants and their offspring. This
was known as the migrant study.
What they found was that cancer rates varied between
Japan and Hawaii and that cancer rates varied between
generations within Hawaii.
"Breast cancer rates are very low in Japan. They're
high in the United States and what we showed was that
if you looked at the first generation of migrants in
Hawaii, the Japanese-American women, their breast cancer
rates were still low by U.S. standards but they were
much higher than in the first generation, so there was
a progression," said lead researcher Dr. Laurence
Kolonel.
This, says Kolonel, is an indication that it can't
just be genetics. He believes it's environmental. Researchers
concluded the likeliest culprit was diet – especially
as more Western eating habits make their way into Hawaii
with fast food restaurants.
Now, Kolonel and colleagues at the University of Hawaii
are collaborating with researchers at the University
of Southern California to gather groups of individuals
in one of the following categories: native Hawaiians
from Hawaii, Caucasians from Hawaii, Japanese-Americans
from Hawaii, African-Americans from California, and
Latinos from California.
Their goals are twofold: see which components of the
diet increase the risk for cancer and which protect
against cancer; and see if those relationships are consistent
across ethnic groups.
A total of 215,000 individuals are expected to enroll
in the study. All filled out a 26-page questionnaire
about their diets and some will have blood and urine
collected as well to look at biological markers that
explain what happens to the food once it's absorbed
into the bloodstream. The current study has no set end
date but is expected to go for about 20 years or more
to get the maximum benefit.
"We want to be able to recommend to the public
not just specific suggestions like 'eat less fat' or
'eat more fiber,' but what's the kind of diet that you
should eat in general? What's the sort of pattern you
should follow so that you will hopefully live a long
and healthful life without disability and to a ripe
old age?" Kolonel said.
Dr. Dean Ornish, inventor of the Ornish diet, has found
by eating a diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables,
men can actually lower their risk of prostate cancer.
He conducted a study where men were randomly assigned
to eat whatever they wanted and half were asked to make
intensive changes to their diet.
"After three months, PSA levels as a marker for
prostate cancer were essentially unchanged in the comparison
group, but they went down significantly in the group
that made comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle,"
Ornish said.
Source:www.news8austin.com
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