Eating more fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts and less meat and dairy might be good for men who have prostate cancer, a recent study suggests.
This study, carried out by scientists from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, looked at over 3,500 men with prostate cancer.
They wanted to see if a diet with more plant-based foods could help with common problems these men face after treatment, like trouble with sexual function and urinary issues.
The researchers divided the men into five groups based on how much plant versus animal food they ate. They found that the men who ate the most plant-based foods had better sexual health by 8% to 11% compared to those who ate the least.
This group also had up to 14% better urinary health, meaning they had fewer problems like leaking urine or feeling blocked, and up to 13% better hormonal health, which includes feeling less tired, less depressed, and having fewer hot flashes.
Dr. Stacy Loeb, who led the study, said this research gives hope to men looking for ways to feel better after treatments for prostate cancer, which often cause these kinds of health issues.
She suggested that adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet and cutting back on meat and dairy could be a simple step for patients to improve their quality of life.
Prostate cancer is one of the top cancers affecting men in the United States, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Previous studies by the same team showed that a plant-based diet might also lower the chance of getting prostate cancer in the first place.
This kind of diet has been linked to a lower risk of sexual dysfunction, but this is the first study to show it can also lead to better urinary health in men with prostate cancer.
The study used data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which has been collecting information from more than 50,000 male health professionals since 1986 to understand how nutrition affects the risk of cancer and other serious diseases.
Men with prostate cancer reported what they ate and how often they had urinary problems, difficulties with sexual function, and other health issues.
Most of these men had been treated for prostate cancer, and all of them had early-stage disease that hadn’t spread. The study considered various factors that could influence health, like weight and physical activity.
The findings showed that eating lots of plant-based foods was linked to better sexual, urinary, and overall vitality, regardless of other health conditions or lifestyle choices.
The researchers think this might be because of the dietary fiber in plants, which could also explain the better bowel function seen in these men.
Dr. Loeb pointed out that these benefits challenge the old idea that eating meat is good for men’s sexual health. Instead, the study suggests the opposite might be true.
However, she also noted that most of the men in the study were white health professionals, so more research is needed on a more diverse group of men and those with more advanced prostate cancer.
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