‘Good news’: Healthful plant-based diets lower risk for urological conditions in men
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Men who ate healthy plant-based diets lowered their risk for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction, according to data from three abstracts that were presented during the virtual American Urological Association meeting.
“This is a lot of good news,” Stacy Loeb, MD, a professor of urology and population health at New York University, said during a prerecorded press conference. “There are some dietary modifications that people can [make] with real potential benefits.”
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The abstracts included participants who followed an overall plant-based diet, which prioritizes consumption of plant-based foods, and other participants who followed a healthful plant-based diet, which accentuates mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes rather than refined grains and plant foods that are high in sugar.
‘Really dramatic’ results
In the first study, Loeb and colleagues analyzed mortality data and food frequency questionnaires from 47,243 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The participants were followed for a maximum of 28 years. Among them, 6,660 were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of these patients, 516 were in an advanced stage of the disease when diagnosed, 958 were at a terminal stage and 807 had died.
The researchers reported that men aged younger than 65 years at diagnosis who consumed more plant-based foods had a lower risk for advanced prostate cancer (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.42-1.1). Among younger men, greater consumption of a healthful plant-based diet was associated with a lower risk for all prostate cancer types studied (HR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.7-0.95) and a terminal form of the disease (HR = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32-0.9).
“Particularly in the younger men, we found really dramatic and statistically significant lower risks for advanced prostate cancer, lethal prostate cancer and fatal prostate cancer with greater consumption of healthful plant-based foods after controlling for physical activity, [prostate-specific antigen] screening and many other potential confounding variables,” Loeb said.
Additional prostate-related benefits
The second study examined prostate-specific antigen levels in 1,399 men with a median age of 54 years who were enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Ali Mouzannar, BM, BCh, a study co-author and urology resident at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, said during the press conference that men who consumed more healthy plant-based diet items were less likely to have an elevated PSA level (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.24-0.95).
“Clinicians may incorporate these findings during a shared decision-making process to promote healthier lifestyle choices [and] reduce the likelihood of prostate biopsy and any associated treatment morbidity,” he said.
‘Encouraging’ results regarding erectile dysfunction
In the final study, Ruben Blachman-Braun, MD, MSc, a resident in the urology department at the University of Miami Hospital, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 2,549 men aged 21 to 69 years with varying frequencies of erections.
The researchers reported that for each unit that a man’s healthful plant-based diet consumption increased, his risk for erectile dysfunction decreased (OR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99).
“Our results are encouraging,” Blachman-Braun said during the press conference. “We are in line with our previous study in which we analyzed the association between testosterone and plant-based diet.”
References
Blachman-Braun, R et al. PD20-5. lant based diets are associated with decreased risk of erectile dysfunction. Presented at: American Urological Association meeting; Sept. 12, 2021 (virtual meeting).
Kim H, et al. PLOS Med. 2020;doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003371.
Loeb S, et al. MP32-06: Association of plant-based dietary patterns with prostate cancer risk. Presented at: American Urological Association meeting; Sept. 12, 2021 (virtual meeting).
Mouzannar A, et l. Impact of plant-based diet on PSA level: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Presented at: American Urological Association meeting; Sept. 12, 2021 (virtual meeting).
Satija A, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017;doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.047.
Perspective
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Stephen J. Freedland, MD
It has been known for some time that being obese can increase the risk for erectile dysfunction and prostate cancer. Given this information, there has been a thought that lifestyle factors and especially diet may be involved. However, the exact diet to reduce these conditions is unknown. Some studies have shown the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Now these abstracts from the American Urological Association Annual Meeting suggest a healthy plant-based diet may also help lower, but not eliminate, the risk for this condition.
Whenever we talk about healthy plant-based diet with our patients, we should emphasize what a healthy diet means. I have had patients who avoid eating meat and tell me they are doing themselves a great service in lowering their risk for these conditions. However, some of them do not realize that a healthy plant-based diet also means eliminating most simple sugars and all processed foods.
Therefore, make sure your patients understand the true meaning of healthy plant-based diet, which at its heart is “healthy.” Otherwise, there is likely little benefit to a plant-based diet unless they follow a healthy plant-based diet.
Director, Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle
Associate Director, Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
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