In this podcast episode, Stacy Loeb, MD, Master’s degree, doctorate (book), The link between a plant-based diet and prostate cancer risk, how diet can be beneficial in reducing the risk of fatal prostate cancer in men, and the next in research on the topic of diet and prostate cancer. I am explaining my schedule.
Additional resources:
- Loeb S, Fu B, Bauer SR, et al. Association between plant-based dietary index and prostate cancer risk. I’m J Clin Nutr. 2022;115(3):662-670. Doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab365
Stacey Loeb, MD, Master, Ph.D. (Hon), is a urologist and demographic scientist at New York University Langone Health and Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center and host of the “Men’s Health Show” on SiriusXM Radio (New York, NY).
Transcription:
Jessica Ganga: Hello everyone. Welcome to another article on Podcasts360. This is your resource for medical news and clinical updates. I’m the host’s girlfriend, Jessica Ganga. Consultant360 is a multidisciplinary medical information network.
About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society, and it is estimated that there will be more than 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States by 2022. I’m here.
Dr. Stacey Loeb is here to talk with us today about the benefits of a plant-based diet for reducing prostate cancer risk in men. is a urologist and demographer and host of SiriusXM Radio’s “Men’s Health Show.”
Thank you for joining us today, Dr. Loeb. Please provide a summary of your article “Plant-Based Dietary Index and Association with Prostate Cancer Risk”.
Stacey Loeb, MD: This is a research study conducted in a follow-up study of medical professionals. This is a very large study done by Harvard University, where they tracked these individuals over decades, gave them questionnaires about food frequency and many other questionnaires, and tested them for cancer and other cancers. We were able to observe people who developed health conditions over time. The study used a food frequency questionnaire that participants filled out about their nutritional patterns to see who developed prostate cancer, particularly deadly prostate cancer, over the course of the study, and to find out whether men who consumed more plants Was there a difference? Based food.
And what we found was that consuming more plant-based foods was associated with a lower risk of fatal prostate cancer. We need modifiable factors that we can do to reduce a patient’s risk of developing common cancers like prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is known to have a large genetic component. People who have family members with prostate cancer or other cancers are at higher risk, but they account for only about half of the risk of prostate cancer. That’s a good thing, because it’s left for possible things you can do to lower that risk.
Jessica Ganga: What prompted you and your team to study the link between a plant-based diet and prostate cancer risk?
Dr. Loeb: Well, plant-based diets are becoming more and more popular due to their well-studied benefits for various health conditions, especially heart disease, reduced risk of diabetes, and environmental benefits. Many environmental groups and the United Nations are discussing the importance of a more plant-based diet to reduce climate change. As such, there is a huge push towards a more plant-based diet for both health and environmental reasons.
Prostate cancer is now the number one cancer in men in the United States and is a very common cancer, making it important to understand how eating a plant-based diet affects its risk. Also, is it beneficial for prostate cancer as well as heart disease, diabetes, etc. or is there a difference? There is no diet that is suitable for one purpose and another that is suitable for another purpose. In fact, public health recommendations are actually much simpler and easier when the same diet really benefits all.
Jessica Ganga: That’s a good lead to my next question. Why is a plant-based diet beneficial in reducing prostate cancer risk?
Dr. Loeb: So I think there are two sides to this. Plant-based foods themselves also appear to have benefits, and plant-based diets also reduce consumption of animal products. Therefore, plant-based foods have inherent advantages. For example, it has long been known that certain plant-based foods are very good for the prostate, such as cooked tomato products that contain lycopene. Contains cruciferous vegetables. Nuts are also beneficial, and all of these plant-based foods contain fiber and antioxidants, which are very important in terms of cancer prevention. . For example, cooking meat at high temperatures has been found to release these heterocyclic amines associated with cancer.
Processed meat is considered a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization. That’s bacon, hot dogs, deli meats, etc., which are known to cause cancer in humans. As such, processed meat is already known to cause cancer. Red meat such as beef and pork is considered a Group 2 carcinogen by the World Health Organization, which means it probably causes cancer in humans.And it’s in the same group as DDT and mustard gas. . So there are already quite a few studies related to some cancer risks associated with meat. Reducing or eliminating consumption of these meat products, which are associated with the risk of am.
Jessica Ganga: Did the age of the participants influence your study?
Dr. Loeb: These cancers develop over a very long period of time, which is what we see in many nutritional studies. And what we see in many of these nutritional studies is that dietary intake at a young age can have a greater impact. Those who consumed more had the highest return on investment. That’s where the biggest declines were seen in terms of aggressive, lethal, and lethal prostate cancer.
It’s difficult because prostate cancer occurs in older men, and some younger men may not yet be worried about it or don’t know about the problem. It’s really important, and it’s actually not just for prostate cancer risk. We also see this type of situation where taking more is beneficial in terms of reducing the risk of erectile dysfunction. I think it’s just a matter of thinking about the possibilities of giving.
Jessica Ganga: How will your findings affect clinical practice?
Dr. Loeb: Well, I think it’s important. Many men have prostate cancer, about 3 million survivors live in our country with this condition and many people are worried about it. So I think it’s important for health care providers to talk to their patients about nutrition. Many patients ask about these things. How can I reduce the risk? And it would be great to tell them something. And, as I said before, especially if it’s good for the heart and reduces the risk of diabetes and other cancers. And if you’re hearing this among the general public, what you eat can really make a difference, nourishing your body with healthy plant-based foods. Just know that it’s a great way to reduce your risk of prostate cancer and some of these other really common medical conditions.
Jessica Ganga: What do you think is next for research on this topic?
Dr. Loeb: I’m thinking about how to develop this and expand it more into the clinical setting. Many doctors don’t get enough nutrition education in medical school. So it’s not an ambitious diet, even if it’s just a fraction of the gap in helping to unfold this. There were some studies, and indeed the study lasted about a year, but 98% of people continued with that lifestyle after that. You can and stick with it, but that education part really needs to be there.
Jessica Ganga: What do you think is the overall message from today’s conversation?
Dr. Loeb: I think the takeaway message is that eating healthier, plant-based foods isn’t just good for your prostate, it’s good for your heart, your general health, and the environment. It specifically shows that higher food intake is associated with lower risk of fatal prostate cancer. We want to find more simple things people can do to reduce their risk. Everything we can find is very important.
Jessica Ganga: Well, Dr. Loeb, thank you very much for joining us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to provide us with your valuable feedback.
Dr. Loeb: Thank you for having me.