Plant-based diet protects against prostate cancer

A diet rich in healthful plant-based foods appears to reduce the risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, with the most benefit seen among men aged <65 years, reports a study.

A total of 47,239 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986‒2014) were included in this prospective cohort study. The authors calculated the overall and healthful plant-based diet indices from food frequency questionnaires.

Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models to assess the risk of incident prostate cancer (total and by clinical category) among men aged <65 and ≥65 years.

Of the participants, 6,655 developed prostate cancer over follow-up, including 515 with advanced-stage disease at diagnosis, 956 with lethal disease (metastasis or death), and 806 prostate cancer deaths.

Greater overall plant-based consumption significantly correlated with a lower risk of fatal prostate cancer (HR, 0.81, 95 percent CI, 0.64‒1.01; p=0.04 for trend). In men aged <65 years, a higher intake of healthful plant-based foods resulted in a reduced risk of advanced, lethal, and fatal prostate cancer.

In addition, greater consumption of a healthful plant-based diet could lower risks of total (HR, 0.84, 95 percent CI, 0.73‒0.98; p=0.046 for trend) and lethal prostate cancer (HR, 0.56, 95 percent CI, 0.34‒0.94; p=0.03 for trend) at age <65 years.

Among men aged ≥65 years, overall or healthful plant-based diet indices showed no association with prostate cancer. Moreover, fewer than 1 percent of participants followed a vegetarian or vegan diet.

“Plant-based diets are associated with multiple health benefits and a favourable environmental impact,” the authors said.