Although difficult to “prove,” the idea that making healthy lifestyle choices can prevent or slow the development of prostate cancer has been around for decades. Certainly, some of what we know about this complex disease supports the idea:   

• Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in northern Europe and North America than they are in countries such as Japan. (As modern health care systems and cancer databases are available in all these places, researchers do not think this difference is mainly the result of varying ways of diagnosing the disease or keeping records about it.)
• When men from countries with historically low prostate cancer rates migrate to countries where these rates are high, their risk of developing and dying from the disease increases, usually after about 9 to 12 years of residence in their new country. (It seems that environmental factors, such as lifestyle choices, rather than any inherited characteristics protect these men from prostate cancer.)
• Countries known for their low prostate cancer rates are seeing these rates rise as their citizens’ lifestyles are becoming more “Westernized.” (See International trends and patterns of prostate cancer incidence and mortality.)
• Prostate cancer, in its “latent” form, is common among men as they age. These microscopic, low-grade bits of cancer, which are discovered, usually, only after a man has died of another cause, are found in stable rates among various populations of men. So it seems that some lifestyle factor, such as diet or exercise, can act as a brake, preventing this latent cancer from changing into the clinical cancer that threatens life.

 Although speculative, then, recommendations regarding what lifestyle choices might prevent prostate cancer from returning or slow its growth are worth considering. And it is always important to remember that men diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to die from some other cause. (For prostate cancer survivors, heart disease is still the number one killer.)

Here, then, is some general health advice to follow to change your lifestyle, so you can live well after prostate cancer.
 

• Eat what you need to maintain a healthy body weight but not more.
• Exercise daily; endurance exercises, like walking, cycling, running, or swimming, help keep your heart healthy and increase the levels of antioxidants in your body, while other forms of exercise help you maintain muscle mass.
• Get sunshine daily.
• Follow a diet that reduces animal protein and increases plant protein (e.g., soy) and that includes a wide variety of colourful fruits and (especially) vegetables.
• Remember that vitamins and other supplements are meant to add to your nutrition; they are a poor alternative to eating foods that are high in the nutrients you require.
• Quit smoking altogether, and do not drink to excess.
• Investigate and practice ways of reducing stress in your life.
• Remember the importance of moderation when following these or other guidelines.
• See your doctors regularly to follow up.

For more particulars, check out the other PCCN pages available in this section, e.g., “Diet.”

References:
Dr. Fred Saad and Dr. Michael McCormack, Understanding Prostate Cancer (available for free in Canada from the Procure website)

A. W. Hsing, L. Tsao, and S. S. Devesa, 2000, International trends and patterns of prostate cancer incidence and mortality, International Journal of Cancer, Vol. 85: 60–67.