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Healthy diet, regular exercise reduce risk for deadly prostate cancers
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Men who exercise regularly and have healthy diets can considerably reduce their risk for developing lethal forms of prostate cancer, according to study results.
Stacey A. Kenfield, ScD, assistant professor of urology at University of California San Francisco, and colleagues analyzed data from two large American studies — the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Physicians’ Health Study.
Stacey A. Kenfield, ScD
The investigators used the data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study to create a lifestyle score to gauge the effects certain lifestyle habits have on the risk for aggressive and potentially fatal forms of prostate cancer. They then applied the score to their analysis of data from the Physicians’ Health Study.
The researchers created the score by assigning 1 point to each case if they were nonsmokers or quit smoking more than 10 years prior; had BMI was lower than 30, had a high-rate of vigorous physical activity; had a high intake of fatty fish; had a high intake of tomatoes; and had a low intake of processed meats.
The researchers computed diet-only scores (0-3) and overall scores (0-6).
Among the 42,701 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and 20,324 men from the Physicians’ Health Study, the researchers identified 913 lethal prostate cancer events.
In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, men with a score of either 5 or 6 had a 68% decreased risk for lethal prostate cancer compared with those with a score of 0 or 1 (HR = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.19-0.52). A one-point increase in score was associated with a decreased risk of 20%.
In the Physicians’ Health Study, men with a score of either 5 or 6 had a 32% decreased risk for lethal prostate cancer compared with those with a score of 0 or 1 (HR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.3-1.26), but the difference was not statistically significant.
When researchers evaluated dietary factors only, men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who had a score of 3 demonstrated a 46% decreased risk compared with men with a score of 0 (HR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.3-0.96). A 1-point increase in score was associated with a decreased risk of 19%.
In the Physicians’ Health Study, men with a score of 3 demonstrated a 30% decreased risk compared with men with a score of 0 (HR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4-1.23), but the difference was not statistically significant.
“We estimated that 47% of lethal prostate cancer cases would be prevented in the United States if men over 60 had five or more of these healthy habits,” Kenfield said in a press release. “It’s interesting that vigorous activity had the highest potential impact on prevention of lethal prostate cancer. We calculated the population-attributable risk for American men over 60 and estimated that 34% of lethal prostate cancer would be reduced if all men exercised to the point of sweating for at least 3 hours a week.”
Incidence of lethal prostate cancer among men aged older than 60 years would be reduced by 15% if they consumed at least seven servings of tomatoes weekly, and by 17% if they had one weekly serving of fatty fish. Reduction of processed meat intake ― defined as less than three servings weekly ―would reduce risk by 12%.
“This study underscores the ongoing need for more effective prevention measures and policies to increase exercise, improve diet quality and reduce tobacco use in our population,” June M. Chan, ScD, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and professor of urology at University of California, San Francisco, said in a press release. “It takes cooperation and effort from multiple areas ― like insurance companies, employers, policy makers and city planners ― to figure out how to creatively support and encourage more exercise into most busy adults’ working day. These lifestyle habits align with other recommendations to prevent diabetes and heart disease.” – by Anthony SanFilippo
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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