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Dietary intervention appears useful in men with prostate cancer

Tuesday, September 23 2008 | Comments

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What's This? Men with prostate cancer who received telephone-based counseling significantly increased intake of vegetables and significantly decreased their fat intake as compared with men diagnosed with the disease who received standard, written nutritional information, according to recently published data.

Although the data from 2 previous studies showed that diet change may have a beneficial effect in men with prostate cancer, both studies included behavioral changes in addition to dietary modification, the authors explained.

To test the effect of a dietary modification, the researchers conducted the MEAL study that included 74 men with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate. The men were randomized to receive telephone-based dietary counseling or standardized written nutritional information. The telephone counseling focused on increased intake of vegetables (particularly cruciferous vegetables and tomato products), whole grains, and beans/legumes.

The primary endpoints were changes in dietary intake and plasma carotenoid concentrations between baseline and 6 months (within and between groups). Difference in plasma prostate-specific antigen concentrations between baseline and 6 months was a secondary endpoint.

In the intervention arm, vegetable intakes increased by 76% at 6 months, while the vegetable intake in the control arm increased by 11%. The within and between group differences were statistically significant in favor of the intervention arm.

The daily intake of crucifers, tomato products, and other vegetables significantly increased by 143%, 292%, and 55%, respectively, in the intervention arm.  Lettuce and potato intake significantly decreased by 58% in the intervention arm (P<.05). No significant change in these intakes was seen in the control arm.

In the intervention arm, daily intake of whole grains increased by 28% and daily intake of beans increased by 95%. The daily fat intake decreased by 12% in this arm. In the control arm, whole grain intakes significantly decreased by 33% (P<.05). The within group and between group differences were statistically significant for the intervention arm.

Plasma total carotenoid concentrations of the intervention group increased by 26% (P<.05).  The control group's concentrations rose by a nonsignificant 3%. The difference between the groups was statistically significant (P<.05).

No significant differences, either within groups or between groups, were seen in 6-month plasma PSA concentrations.

"[T]hese data support the feasibility of implementing clinical trials of telephone-based dietary interventions in men with prostate cancer," the authors concluded. "Large-scale trials of dietary intervention would seem particularly relevant for two populations of patients: those on active surveillance and those with biochemical (PSA-only) recurrence after primary therapy with surgery or radiation." (Parsons JK, et al. Urology 2008;72:633-637.)

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