Helps Stop Advance of Prostate Cancer.

• Position: MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Men who report a baseline dietary pattern that closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fare better over the course of their battle with prostate cancer, indicates a study at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

"Men with prostate cancer are motivated to find a way to impact the advancement of their disease and improve their quality of life," says lead author Justin Gregg, assistant professor of urology. "A Mediterranean diet is noninvasive, good for overall health, and, as shown by this study, has the potential to effect the progression of their cancer."

Men with a diet that contained more fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and fish had a reduced risk of their prostate cancer growing or advancing to a point where many would consider active treatment. The researchers also examined the effect of diabetes and statin use and found a similar risk reduction in these patient groups.

The study, whose largest number of participants were white, also found that the effect of a Mediterranean diet was more pronounced in African-American participants and others who self-identified as nonwhite. These findings are significant as the rate of prostate cancer diagnosis is more than 50% higher in...