Lifestyle changes to keep PSA under control

Just to be clear - the aim would be to slow the cancer or to help the body to fight it; not to just lower the PSA falsely.

Many men read about and then decide to follow the Jane Plant diet although she was not a medical practioner and there is very little science to support her theory that cutting out all red meat and dairy (and eating copious amounts of garlic, onions, oily fish and cooked or processed tomatoes) can help to control the cancer.

There has been some research by the Prostate Cancer Foundation along similar lines - they concluded that a diet like this from a young age could prevent PCa from happening, but there is very little to suggest that it can help once you actually have cancer. You can buy the cookbook from Amazon.

General sense seems to be if it makes you feel well and positive then it might help and won't do any harm.

I found it interesting to read about the statistics for Japanese men

https://easyhealthoptions.com/want-prevent-prostate-cancer-use-japanese-method/

Also the ADDaspirin and vitamin D3 clinical stage III trial is interesting and although not on my husband is following the protocol of the low dose aspirin, maximum vitamin D3 arm voluntarily

Who knows but eating healthily I think has helped him to feel he has some control.

So he drinks daily green tea and Pomegranite juice

He is earing brocolli and tomatoes in abundance whilst having gone zero tolerance on dairy and keeping red meat for a special occasion, fish and veg are now his preference where possible.

He has a range of supplements that he takes in addition to the low dose aspirin and vitamin D3 including Pom-it and turmeric among others.

Good luck

Clare

I can think of quite a few guys on this forum who followed a similar regime to that of the Jane Plant diet and many of them are still around.

When I had my suspicions that I had PCa back in 2006 I adopted some lifestyle changes which I believe have benefitted me in the long term and having a stable PSA for well over a year since my diagnosis in 2015 gives me cause to think that those changes have worked for me. But let's not forget that each man's PCa is specific to him and his gene pool and what works for me might not work for others.

I'll list my dietary and supplement regime just for the record and not some magic formulae that will change outcomes for others. Make your own choices based on hard research and statistics.

No red meat.
No dairy products.
Loads of fruit (all kinds and nothing specific)
Loads of green/red/orange veg (not kale, I hate the stuff).
Green tea by the bucket load (I exaggerate of course but easily 2 to 3 litres a day).
Saw Palmetto (standardised extract).
Vit D3
Selenium.
Organic Pomegranate juice (not from concentrate).

I am also prescribed Aspirin, Statins and Metformin for other conditions and although no hard evidence has been provided that they are beneficial to PCa sufferers, I'm pleased that I'm taking them.

As I've already said, this is my regime and it appears to be working for me and although I'm not conscious of the psychological benefits being on this regime may be bringing me, there may be a possibility that anything that helps my mental state is also benefitting my physiology.

Choose your own path and good luck.

Edited by member 27 Sep 2017 at 23:09  | Reason: Not specified

PSA is an indirect indicator for prostate cancer (and not a particularly good one!)

Reducing PSA could simply give a misleading impression that the cancer is slowing.

As for diet to combat cancer, there is virtually no evidence of anything having an effect.

Sure a healthy diet can do no harm, and may help the body to fight the cancer. But, as we know, the body can't fight the cancer, so the benefits are probably small. But a healthy diet when living with cancer is still a good thing, as anyone with cancer is always at risk of other diseases (including further cancer), and a healthy diet is a good way to promote your body's preventative activity.

Lest we forget, the "Five A Day" was introduced to help reduce cancer - it didn't, but had a significant effect on heart disease statistics.

Cutting back on red meat and dairy will definitely reduce the risks of certain other cancers, particularly bowel cancer, but there's zero evidence that it has any effect on an existing cancer.

Finally, some diets talk about 'starving the cancer' - this is frankly insane. Cancer is part of your body, and has almost identical nutritional needs. Starve the cancer and you starve yourself.

Finally, as an eminent oncologist once said,' if you go on one of these fad diets, it won't help your cancer, but it will stop you becoming depressed. If you're up at seven every morning to slice vegetables all day, you haven't got time to be depressed.'

Not smoking, of course, cuts the risk of many cancers (Including PCa). But stopping smoking doesn't make the cancer go away.

Cutting out bacon can also reduce the risk of getting some cancers, but is there life without bacon? No.

Edited by member 28 Sep 2017 at 09:35  | Reason: Not specified

This video presentation from Canada was intersting on this subject

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-JpHkqg8j-8

Thanks

Clare