Hello Everyone
The communications team at Prostate Cancer UK has suggested I post a summary of the results of our latest nutritional intervention study which has established, a strong link between gut health and prostate cancer progression.
This UK study presented at ASCO Urology in San Francisco and published in European Urology Oncology found that, along-side boosting the intake of specific phytochemical nutrients, a capsule that enhanced the friendly bacteria in the gut helped slow prostate cancer progression whilst improving overall wellbeing.
This double-blind randomised trial, involving men with progressive prostate cancer, was designed by the same research team from Bedford and Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Hospitals which tested a previous supplement in 2013. For this latest intervention, the scientific committee designed a new supplement which contained the same core ingredients (turmeric, green tea, broccoli and pomegranate) but was enhanced with cranberry and organic ginger as well as fortified extracts from the same plant - a dual approach which now allows a broad spectrum of phytochemicals from the entire plant, while enhancing intake of candidate phytochemicals.
Half of the men were then randomised to a strategy to boost gut health in the form of a specific probiotic blend that contained 5 unique strains of non-histamine inducing, non-diary, lactose secreting lactobacillus. This supplement was previously evaluated and found to be safe and beneficial in the UK COVID nutritional intervention study
The results showed that men boosting their daily phytochemicals with 2 capsule a day had a slowing of PSA progression of about 25%, much better than seen in 2013. Men taking the specific extra lactobacillus blend had a 44% reduction in prostate-specific progression. Reassuringly, these biochemical changes were backed up with physical changes in disease size seen on MRI scans.
What was welcomed by about a quarter of the men in the study, were improvements in urinary flow and nocturia. Furthermore, about 12% of men reported better erectile function. In a different aspect of the study, published in the Journal of ageing and Longevity, men taking both supplements had lower levels of inflammation and had improved grip strength.
The research group is planning to collect longer follow up data and include men with different stages of disease. A lay, independent summary of the trial can be found here
Declaration: Yourgutplus and Yourphyto were supplied free of charge to the research unit by the UK manufacture’s. No member of the research team have a financial connection to these products which are classed as over the counter supplements so cannot be prescribed by doctors.