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Broccoli and Curry May Save American Men from Prostate Cancer

Jan. 15, 2006 – The most common cancer in American men – prostate cancer – may be prevented and possibly treated by something as easy as eating certain vegetables, like broccoli and the curry spice turmeric, says a new study. Age is considered the most important risk factor for prostate cancer, since the average age of diagnosis is 70. But, evidence is mounting that a diet high in fats and red meat play a significant role in increasing this risk. American men, heavy consumers of red meat, have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world. In the next 24 hours, prostate cancer will claim the lives of 83 American men, according to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.

Rutgers researchers tested turmeric, also known as curcumin, along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance particularly abundant in a group of vegetables that includes watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips.

"The bottom line is that PEITC and curcumin, alone or in combination, demonstrate significant cancer-preventive qualities in laboratory mice, and the combination of PEITC and curcumin could be effective in treating established prostate cancers," said Ah-Ng Tony Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

The discovery was announced in today's issue of the journal Cancer Research. The article is by Kong and his colleagues at Rutgers' Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, with a half-million new cases appearing each year. Senior citizens are by far the most likely to be stricken, with 75 percent of cases being diagnosed in men over age 65.

The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer have not decreased in past decades despite tremendous efforts and resources devoted to treatment. This is because advanced prostate cancer cells are barely responsive even to high concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents or radiotherapy.

The authors noted that in contrast to the high incidence of prostate cancer in the United States, the incidence of this disease is very low in India. This has been attributed to the dietary consumption of large amounts of plant-based foods rich in phytochemicals – nonnutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease-preventive properties.

Consequently, scientists have been investigating intervention options based on compounds found in edible and medicinal plants. They have had some success, and a majority of patients with prostate cancer are now combining the conventional therapies with these compounds as alternative, supplementary or complementary medications.

For Kong's study, researchers used mice bred so that their immune systems would not reject foreign biological material and injected the mice with cells from human prostate cancer cell lines to grow tumors against which the compounds could be tested.

"Despite convincing data from laboratory cell cultures, we knew little about how PEITC and curcumin would perform in live animals, especially on prostate cancer," Kong said. "So we undertook this study to evaluate how effective PEITC and curcumin might be – individually and in combination – to prevent and possibly treat prostate cancer."

The researchers injected the mice with curcumin or PEITC, alone or in combination, three times a week for four weeks, beginning a day before the introduction of the prostate cancer cells. They found the injections significantly retarded the growth of cancerous tumors. Using PEITC and curcumin in tandem produced even stronger effects.

The group went on to evaluate the therapeutic potential of curcumin and PEITC in mice with well-established tumors, and the results showed that PEITC or curcumin alone had little effect, whereas the combination of curcumin and PEITC significantly reduced tumor growth.

An estimated 30,350 American men will lose their lives to prostate cancer in 2006 - 1 death every 18 minutes. That's more new cases than any other form of cancer. Prostate cancer incidence rates increased 192% between 1973 and 1992.

About the research

The paper, "Combined Inhibitory Effects of Curcumin and Phenethyl Isothiocyanate on the Growth of Human PC-3 Prostate Xenografts in Immunodeficient Mice," is available at cancerres.aacrjournals.org.

The authors are Tin Oo Khor, Young-Sam Keum, Wen Lin, Jung-Hwan Kim, Rong Hu, Guoxiang Shen, Changjiang Xu, Avanthika Gopalakrishnan, Bandaru Reddy, Xi Zheng, Allan H. Conney and Ah-Ng Tony Kong, all from Rutgers.

Prostate Cancer and Diet

By National Prostate Cancer Coalition

Changing your diet could lower your risk.

American men have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world. Evidence is mounting that a diet high in fats and red meat, common in America, plays a significant role in increasing the risk of prostate cancer.

Asian men in Asian countries die of prostate cancer at 1/10 the rate of American men, but within one generation of moving to North America, their risk of dying of prostate cancer becomes equal to that of their American counterparts. Many believe diet to be the cause of this rapid change.

A diet high in soy as well as fruits and vegetables may help prevent prostate cancer.

  ● Soy can reduce PSA levels. Soy is a phytoestrogen, which is a plant substance that affects the body similarly to the estrogen found in humans. Scientists believe that phytoestrogen can balance out testosterone levels in men, reducing prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. Studies show that men with prostate cancer experienced a dramatic drop in their PSA level when consuming two grams of soy per day. Keep in mind that soy contains estrogen, and too much of anything can be dangerous, so check with your doctor before dramatically increasing your consumption of any one food.

  ● Men who eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cabbage) may be reducing their risk of prostate cancer. 3 or more servings a day can reduce risk by as much as 41%.

  ● 5 servings or more of fruit per day can cut the risk of prostate cancer in half. Fruit helps, in part, by containing fructose which stimulates the body’s ability to create Vitamin D, a nutrient believed to reduce prostate cancer risk.

  ● Tomatoes, which contain an antioxidant called lycopene, may have a big impact on prostate cancer. Some studies have shown that a regular intake of lycopene supplements lowers risk by about 15% while other studies show that consumption of tomatoes lowers risk by as much as 26%.

  ● While giving you bad breath, consumption of 10 grams of allium vegetables, garlic, onions and chives may also reduce your risk of getting prostate cancer. The foods contain flavinoids that have demonstrated reduction in tumor growth in lab studies.

  ● Mushrooms are rich with selenium a believed cancer fighter in lowering PSA levels and inhibiting tumor growth. While there is a massive study in progress of measuring the impact of selenium and Vitamin E on prostate cancer risk and progression, a large study in the U.K. showed men who regularly took selenium reduced prostate cancer risk by four times.

  ● Consuming about 50 milligrams (75 IU) of Vitamin E can reduce risk of prostate cancer by one-third and the death rate by 41%. Vitamin E, found in food including pecans and sesame seeds, may also stimulate the immune system and sex hormones which contributes to minimizing the growth and spread of cancer.

  ● Make your tea time. Green tea, in particular, is rich in polyphenols, believed to slow the growth of cancer. Studies are showing that tea reduces the levels of polyamines a substance associated with cancer malignancy.

Bad Foods

  ● The “Western Diet” or a diet high in fats and red meat may contribute to higher rates of prostate cancer.

  ● Avoid the steak and hamburgers. Eating red meat 5x per week doubles your risk for prostate cancer, according to studies.

  ● Limit sweets and desserts. Foods high in calories and sugar can lower metabolism and create problems with obesity which is proving to be a key factor in prostate cancer severity and possibly risk.

  ● An excess of calcium, found in dairy products, may increase the risk of prostate cancer as the calcium reduces the body’s levels of Vitamin D which protects the body from prostate cancer.

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