More News on the Mediterranean Diet: It May Protect Against Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Men following the Mediterranean diet, which stands out for its fish, vegetables, fruit, legumes and olive oil, were found to have a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Conversely, people following Western diets were found to have a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The Journal of Urologypublished this new research, which suggests that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in men.

To investigate the relationship between prostate cancer and dietary patterns, a case-control study was conducted in Spain involving 733 patients and a healthy control group of men aged 38 - 85, numbering 1.229.

A Western diet involves high consumption of refined grains, processed meats, sugary drinks, fast food and sauces. The Mediterranean diet, by contrast, includes fish, boiled potatoes, whole fruits and vegetables, legumes and olive oil, with low fruit juice consumption.

• Healthy living is much closer than you think: the Mediterranean Diet

Among the dietary patterns, only high adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Compared with other dietary patterns, Mediterranean eating showed different effects on low- and high-grade tumors.

The Degree of Aggressiveness in Prostate Cancer Is Determined by the Gleason score and Its Stage, Which Is Determined According to Tumor Size.

The Gleason scoreis a scoring system that provides information about the growth and spread rates of prostate cancer cells and assesses how much cancer cells differ from normal cells. The Gleason score ranges from 2-10; as the score increases, the cancer is more aggressive and progresses more rapidly.

• Staging and risk groups in prostate cancer

In the study, the degree of aggressiveness of prostate cancer was assessed using the Gleason score and clinical stage. Gleason scores below 6 generally indicate a tumor with a favorable prognosis (disease course). When the tumor’s clinical stage is cT1 or cT2a, this also indicates a tumor confined to the prostate tissue that has not spread.

The study found that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a protective effect against more aggressive and larger tumors (Gleason > 6 and stages cT2b to cT4).

No significant association was found with any of the other dietary patterns and tumor characteristics. In conclusion, this research, which provides important findings suggesting that a particular dietary habit may affect prostate cancer risk, once again emphasized the importance of the Mediterranean diet.