Recent Research Findings Regarding Dietary Choices and Prostate Cancer Risk

Deep-fried Foods and Prostate Cancer

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that regular consumption of fried foods is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Men who reported eating french fries, fried chicken, fried fish and/or doughnuts more than once a week had an increased risk of prostate cancer (30-37%) when compared to men who reported eating these foods less than once a month. Previous studies have revealed a link between consumption of foods cooked at high temperatures (such as grilling) and prostate cancer. This was the first study to specifically examine deep-fried food and prostate cancer. The researchers could not determine if the increased risk is specific to eating deep-fried foods, or if the risk is related to eating foods cooked at high heat and/or other aspects of the Western lifestyle (such as eating fast food).

Stott-Miller, M., Neuhouser, M. L. and Stanford, J. L. Consumption of deep-fried foods and risk of prostate cancer. Prostate; 2013; 73(9): 960-969. doi: 10.1002/pros.22643.

Healthy Eating and Prostate Cancer

Anew study examined the relationship between overall diet and prostate cancer, rather than the link between eating a specific food and the risk of prostate cancer. The study looked at prostate cancer risk and three diets: the Healthy Eating Index-2005, the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010, and the alternate Mediterranean diet score.

The Healthy Eating Indices measure diet quality according to federal dietary guidelines. Each food category has a score that correlates to the amount of food a person eats in that category, which include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, etc. The alternate Mediterranean diet score measures conformance to a traditional Mediterranean diet high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains and fish.

Men with high scores on the Healthy Eating Indices had a lower risk of prostate cancer. There does not seem to be a relationship between the Mediterranean diet and prostate cancer. The study did not find that any of the three diets is associated with the risk for advanced and fatal prostate cancer.

Although the study focuses on overall diet, the findings supported previous evidence that eating fish and ω-3 fatty acids is associated with a lower risk of fatal prostate cancer.

Bosire C., et al. Index-based dietary patterns and the risk of prostate cancer in the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2013; 177(6):504-13. doi: 10.1093/aje/kws261.