Strict diet, less stress can reverse prostate cancer
By Michael Lasalandra
13 April 2002
Boston Herald
A groundbreaking study suggests that eating a low-fat diet, plus lifestyle changes, can slow or reverse the progression of prostate cancer in patients with early-stage disease.
"It gives many people new hope and new choices," said Dr. Dean Ornish, the noted California cardiologist who previously showed that diet and lifestyle changes could reverse heart disease. Ornish will present his prostate cancer data today at an alternative medicine conference in Boston.
In an interview yesterday, Ornish said his study of 84 men showed that those who adhered to his rigid diet and lifestyle program reduced their PSA (prostate specific antigen) scores by an average of 8 percent in just three months. The scores were lowered even more after a year, he said.
The study may be the first randomized one ever to show that any cancer can be slowed or reversed by diet and lifestyle changes.
"This is very encouraging, although the findings need to be replicated," said Ornish, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and head of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito. The men in the study had all decided to stall treatment while monitoring their PSA levels in what is known as "watchful waiting."
They were all newly diagnosed and had PSA scores of between 4 and 10. The score measures a blood marker that shows whether the cancer is growing.
All had "moderate" Gleason scores - which measure tumor aggressiveness - of under 7. The study compared a control group with a group that adhered to Ornish's diet and lifestyle plan. The program involves eating a low-fat diet, including mostly plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and beans, including soybeans. In addition, those on the program were required to walk a half-hour per day, participate in stress management programs such as yoga or meditation for an hour per day and to attend a once-a-week support group.
Those in the control group saw no changes in their PSA scores after three months, while those in the Ornish program saw their scores drop, on average, by 8 percent. After one year, the scores of those in the control group had increased, while those of the subjects in the Ornish group continued to decline.
Those who changed their diets and lifestyles the most saw their scores drop the most, he said. Of those in the control group, 7 of 44 went on to have surgery or radiation. None in the Ornish group went on to have such treatments, which can be accompanied by significant side effects, including impotence or incontinence. Allen Snyder, a prostate cancer survivor and co-founder of the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition, said he has doubts about the ability of diet and lifestyle changes to reverse prostate cancer, but said the plan may be reasonable for those engaging in "watchful waiting."
"My initial reaction is one of skepticism, but different things work for different people," he said. "But if you do it, you've got to monitor it. Some cancers are more aggressive than others." Ornish will present his findings for the first time today at the Harvard University Scientific Conference on Complementary, Alternative &Integrative Medicine at the Marriott Copley Place. Ornish said he does not encourage patients to use his regimen instead of conventional treatment, but says they should discuss the matter with their doctors.
Even if they decide to go with conventional treatment, however, he said they may want to consider his program as an adjunct.
"There is a significant rate of recurrence with prostate cancer," he said. He said the subjects will continue to be studied over four years to see how they fare. Future studies will look at how the program works in preventing recurrence in those who have been treated and whether it works in preventing primary prostate cancer.
