Investigating the impact of diet

A recent review searches for links between dietary choices and prostate cancer. The authors conclude that there may be an association between plant based diets and a decreased risk of prostate cancer, as well as a link between dairy intake and increased risk

According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be an estimated 174,650 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States this year.

In the U.S., about 11.6% of men will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime.

As with other types of cancer, scientists are still uncovering the full range of risk factors for prostate cancer.

Some scientists have turned to nutrition, but — for various reasons — measuring the effect of the diet on disease is notoriously difficult. As one example, food intake can fluctuate wildly from day to day, month to month, and year to year.

Also, certain dietary habits tend to tie in with lifestyle factors that influence health. For instance, someone who exercises regularly is also generally more likely to eat healthfully. These associations make it difficult to unpick whether it is lifestyle, diet, or both that have a protective effect.

For these reasons and many more, studies investigating the links between prostate cancer and diet have produced conflicting results.

Recently, researchers from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, carried out an extensive literature review in an effort to cut through the noise. They published their findings in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

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