In this Part 4 of 4 final blog post of this series, some of the lesser known food & nutrition source potential influencers re: prostate cancer will be mentioned.
(Single rainbow photo courtesy of Stuart Bran, taken in Rousseau, Dominica)
Please remember than any content on this site is purely for infotainment purposes only. ALWAYS discuss any potential changes in dietary intake, including supplement use, with any patient’s state licensed/certified health care practitioner(s) as ultimately any patient is under their medical care and if multiple practitioners are involved, hopefully there exists a coordinated care plan to address the needs of the total person. Ingestion of certain substances & supplements may be contraindicated in certain treatment protocols, so discussing one’s unique individual situation with one’s health care practitioner(s) is always of critical importance.
In case you missed reading any of the previous blog posts in this series, you can read them at your leisure (Part 1 of 4, Part 2 of 4, Part 3 of 4).
19. Medicinal Mushrooms (not common culinary mushrooms) studied in East Asia as polysaccharide extracts show promise in vitro. Certain varieties have been shown to inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells and metastasis or to inhibit tumor cell proliferation, modulate immune system responses or steroidogenesis, or regulate insulin sensitivity.
20. Modified citrus pectin aka MCP or fractionated pectin (a complex polysaccharide soluble fiber isolated from the peel and pulp of citrus fruits) when altered to become absorbable into the blood stream has been shown to be promising in animal model studies where it has slowed the angiogensis, metastasis, and progression of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Some research has been done in the use of specific dosing of a particular version taken 3x daily following either cryosurgery, prostatectomy, or radiation, potentially increasing time to Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) doubling. Research results have led to potential recommendation of adult dosages always given in multiple divided doses.
21. Polyphenols including curcumin (see Turmeric below) may exhibit an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effect; epigallocatechin (see Green Tea Catechins in the Part 3 of 4 blog post) may help exert an anti-angiogenic, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative and even anti-proliferative effect; and resveratrol (red grapes and red wine) may exhibit an anti-proliferative effect as well as help inhibit hormone growth signals.
22. Pomegranates have been studied in relation to radiation, surgery, or cryotherapy particularly for their ellagitannins content (juice from the fruit, peel extracts, and oil extracts).
Pomegranates contain the valuable polyphenol punicalagin, which is thought to possibly contribute more than half the antioxidant content found in this fruit source. Punicalagin is in the pomegranate skin. Although research is promising, it is not yet conclusive. Nonetheless, consumption of a specific level of pomegranate juice in some instances where feasible in those who have undergone cryotherapy, radiation, or surgery has been shown to be beneficial (PSA doubling time in some studies increased from 15 to 54 months) resulting in the ability in those instances to delay additional cancer treatments.
23. Selenium has been recommended in the literature in certain specific instances, but not in all instances. Selenium is preferable from food sources such as alliums, Brazil nuts, enriched brewer’s yeast, seafood sources, and whole grains, in combination with Vitamin E* (it appears there may be a positive synergistic relationship between Selenium & Vitamin E). Selenium acts as an antioxidant and is thought to have positive effects on apoptosis, carcinogen metabolism, cell proliferation, cytotoxicity immune system function, and also testosterone production.
Selenium may scavenge free radicals & suppress damage due to oxidation. (Antioxidants are very valuable in any dietary intake!)
Note that excessively high plasma Selenium levels can have detrimental effects including increasing blood glucose levels so do NOT ever over-consume Selenium and only consume added amounts of it if your health care provider both recommends it for your case and you remain under your health care provider’s supervision. It should also be noted that Selenium as the inorganic compound sodium selenite is highly toxic as opposed to selenium found in its organic form in food sources, so research is ongoing in the area of ingestion of selenium from food sources vs ingestion of selenium from selected supplements.
24. Simple sugars and Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) levels of insulin response: any simple sugar intake can ellicit the IGF response so sugar by any other name is still acting as sugar in the body in terms of an IGF response. High intake of sugars and processed foods containing them appear to increase serum insulin levels. High serum insulin levels appear to increase fat storage in the body & lead to subsequent undesirable weight gain; increase the risk for metabolic syndrome, pre-clinical and clinical diabetes; and increase triglyceride levels. High serum IGF is thought to lead to increased development and promotion of cancer.
Limit simple sugar intake from beverages including alcohol, juice drinks that are not 100% juice (and be judicious about juice intake–whole fruit really is a better choice), sugar-sweetened teas, etc.; and from processed food items including lower fiber choices of refined flour & grain based products from white enriched flour based bread choices or white rice, white pasta, refined grain based breakfast/snack bars & other snack foods, cereals and more; and from various sweets from cakes to candy to cookies to frozen treats to pies, etc.
25. Soy consumption is sometimes recommended at a moderate level either as soy protein or as isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein, including from: firm tofu; green, yellow or black soybeans; soy milk; soy nuts, tempeh and other lean protein sources, including beans/legumes/pulses & whole grain sources. Soy intake can contribute to a higher intake of dietary fiber/day.
Soy is also rich in calcium, B Vitamins, and various phytonutrients including isoflavones (in addition to being a good source of protein and dietary fiber).
It has been reported in some studies that soy intake has been associated with decreasing PSA levels.
The fermentation process that produces miso, natto, and tempeh from soy may possibly increase the bioavailability of the cancer-fighting isoflavones since they contain higher levels of isoflavone aglycones as compared to non-fermented soy food choices such as say tofu.
Global citizens are aware that in their native countries of origin, men of Oriental ancestry have lower rates of prostate cancer. However, if individuals migrate to Western countries, this ancestral and environmental advantage has been shown to be lost once they have gone through enculturation, which typically involves adopting significant dietary pattern changes away from their previous diets that likely were higher in soy content, etc. (as noted in research studies done in their adopted country).
Since some soy products are categorized as goitrogens and discussion in the literature is mixed as to whether or not such soy products might possibly decrease metabolism leading to slight weight gain, one’s diet overall and fat intake in particular might benefit from a review and a slight increase in exercise might be beneficial.
Read labels carefully as various soy products will vary in terms of grams of protein, fat (avoid fat-free since soybeans lose some of their beneficial properties if completely de-fatted–instead choose regular or low-fat varieties), mg of calcium and levels of isoflavones and you want to select the best soy products for your situation.
Anyone on a protein-restricted diet for medical reasons including diabetes, kidney disease, or liver disease should consult all their doctors before adding soy protein to their existing dietary intake.
Certain soy cheese or soy yogurt (both made from soy beverage) might be substituted, for example, for either light sour cream or reduced fat cream cheese in a person’s diet.
Remember that soy milk will not contain the calcium levels of cow’s milk so many soy milk products are fortified and if you are watching your calcium intake, check the label for actual fortification levels.
Soy with its isoflavone content, combined with Green Tea Catechins may have positive synergistic interaction.
26. Turmeric is known for its curcumin content. Curcumin particles exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect, inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cell growth, and tumors may have decreased vascularity as shown in those excised from mice. Blended products with turmeric content have been linked in some instances to induced apoptosis and inhibited androgen receptor expression levels in cells (by 40%), and greatly attenuated cell growth. Research indicates it is possible to increase the absorption of curcumin by use with piperine, which is found in black pepper.
The research appears promising for turmeric’s curcumin content in a potential chemopreventive agent role and maybe also in a therapeutic agent role in the treatment of prostate cancer, however, human studies are seriously needed to explore this potential further.
*27. Vitamin E in its natural form specifically as gamma-tocopherol has been shown to be inversely related to the risk of advanced prostate cancer. Vitamin E is a known cellular antioxidant (it prevents the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids) & anti-proliferative agent when it comes to cancer cells.
Vitamin E induces phase 2 detoxification pathways and inhibits protein kinases. It is postulated that Vitamin E may inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and may lower the conversion rate from latent to aggressive forms of prostate cancer (Vitamin E blocks carcinogen-induced oxidative damage to DNA to decrease mutagenesis).
(It must be cautioned, however, that in the SELECT trial (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) which was looking at the effect of taking either 200 micrograms (mcg) selenium supplementation or 400 International Units (IU) of Vitamin E/day or or combining the two supplements to see what long term effect might be exhibited in terms of prostate cancer protection, such supplementation did not have the desired outcome. Rather, the evidence noted an increase in the prostate cancer risk of persons taking either single doses or the combo doses of supplements. As a result, the trial which had enrollment of subjects by August 2001 was terminated early in June 2004).
Food sources rich in Vitamin E include: asparagus; avocado; mangoes; nuts (such as almonds)/seeds; soybeans; sweet potatoes; vegetable oils (such as canola oil, olive oil and soybean oil), & wheat germ as well as wheat germ oil. Also see Selenium since positive synergy is thought to potentially exist between Vitamin E & Selenium when it comes to dealing with prostate cancer.
28. Water – never forget the importance of adequate water consumption for any individual.
For specifics on food and nutrition intake that might apply to any individual patient, please discuss your concerns with your health care provider (such specifics have intentionally been omitted from this series as we encourage you to work hand-in-hand with those treating you for any condition and allow them to do their job and customize any recommendations applicable to your individual situation).
Ultimately, following overall healthier dietary patterns, rather than overly focusing on the use of specific food items or supplements, is most likely to have the greatest overall impact on cancer prevention, incidence & progression, treatment, and survivorship for the majority of people. Potential functional** foods items will vary in effectiveness based on a wide host of factors from food item or supplement actual content of bioactive substances and then the other factors involved with food item or supplement storage, preparation, ingestion, or other health conditions of the individual, etc.
For hotlinks to potential resource sites, please see the Part 1 blog post in this series.
We sincerely hope you found this series to be informative and helpful and again, please remember to discuss specifics about what they recommend for your individual health status with your own health care practitioners.
** Functional Foods can be thought of as basically whole foods as well as fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods which can have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis as noted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This blog post series mentioned some of these, including, but not limited to: certain alliums such as garlic and onions which are rich in allyl sufides; certain cruciferious vegetables including broccoli; curcumin-containing tumeric spice; fruits and vegetables in general that are rich in phytonutrients including jewel tone, nutrient-rich berries; green tea with its catechins; flaxseed with its lignans; red grapes and red wine with the polyphenol resveratrol; soy with its various phytonutrients including isoflavones; tomatoes rich in lycopene; etc.
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