A high fibre diet may prevent the progression of prostate cancer by stopping tumours from growing.
Researchers have found that eating plenty of wholegrains and plant-based foods may have the potential to control the progression of the disease in the early stages.
They wanted to ascertain why men in Western cultures suffer from more advanced stages of the disease, whereas their Asian counterparts do not.
This is despite the rate of prostate cancer in both cultures being similar.
High fibre foods such as porridge may all help slow the progression of prostate cancer - by slowing down the blood supply to the tumours
Scientists at the University of Colorado Cancer Centre set out to find out why, and found the answer may be a high-fibre diet
The study compared mice fed with of inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a major component of high-fibre diets, to a group of mice that were not.
MRI scans were then used to study the progression of prostate cancer in both groups.
Komal Raina, research instructor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: 'The study's results were really rather profound.'
Indeed, the researchers saw dramatically reduced tumour volumes, primarily due to the effects IP6 had on the growth of blood vessels.
GOOD SOURCES OF FIBRE
Wholemeal, granary and softgrain varieties of bread
Jacket/new/baked potatoes in their skins
Wholegrain breakfast cereals, eg. Weetabix, bran flakes, unsweetened muesli, Shreddies and porridge oats
Wholemeal pasta, brown rice
Beans, lentils and peas
Fresh and dried fruits – particularly if skins are eaten
Vegetables – particularly if the skins are eaten
Nuts and seeds
Wholemeal flour
Basically, the chemical kept prostate tumors from making the new blood vessels they needed to supply themselves with energy. Without this energy, the cancer couldn't grow.
Without the energy, prostate cancer couldn't grow. Likewise, treatment with IP6 slowed the rate at which prostate cancers metaboliSed glucose.
Dr Raina added that a possible mechanism for the effect of IP6 against metabolism include a reduction in a protein called GLUT-4, which is instrumental in transporting glucose.
He said: 'Researchers have long been looking for genetic variations between Asian and Western peoples that could explain the difference in prostate cancer progression rates, but now it seems as if the difference may not be genetic but dietary.
'Asian cultures get [more] IP6 whereas Western cultures generally do not."
The findings were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Fibre may also play a role in preventing cancer, say researchers from the University of California San Fransico.
Men who consumed at least 28 servings of vegetables per week had a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those who ate fewer than 14 servings per week.
There is some evidence that vegetables - particularly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and bok choy - may be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2260069/A-high-fibre-diet-slow-progression-prostate-cancer.html#ixzz2Hb0JsIsa
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