Plant-Based Diet Yields Better Outcomes in Prostate Cancer Survivors

February 13, 2024 - Echoing claims from multiple other studies that emphasize the health benefits of a plant-based diet, a prospective cohort study published in Cancer revealed that prostate cancer survivors who eat predominantly plant-based have improved quality-of-life outcomes, including better scores for sexual function, urinary irritation and obstruction, urinary incontinence, and hormones or vitality.

"These results add to the long list of health and environmental benefits of eating more plants and fewer animal products," said Stacy Loeb, MD, study lead author, urologist, and professor in the Departments of Urology and Population Health at NYU Langone Health, in the press release. "They also clearly challenge the historical misconception that eating meat boosts sexual function in men, when in fact the opposite seems to be the case."

The study focused on data from over 3,500 participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which ran from 1986 to 2016. Researchers chose patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who had completed food-frequency questionnaires.

Using the food-frequency questionnaires, they calculated overall and healthful plant-based diet indices and overlayed them with quality-of-life scores, calculated using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite, which spanned multiple domains, including sexual function, urinary irritation and obstruction, urinary incontinence, and hormones or vitality.

In addition to analyzing each domain alongside dietary habits, the analysis also adjusted for other factors such as demographics, oncology history, body mass index (BMI), caloric intake, other health-related behaviors, and comorbidities.

Patients were divided into five groups based on their plant-based diet indices for data analysis. Based on this information, the group with the highest plant-based diet index, which means they ate the largest proportion of plant-based to animal products, scored better in multiple quality-of-life domains.

For example, those in the highest quintile scored 8–11% better in sexual function measures than those in the lowest quintile. Additionally, scores for urinary health were 14% better for the group with the highest plant-based consumption.

Hormonal health, which was evaluated by energy levels, depression symptoms, and hot flash experiences, was also 13% better in those with greater plant-based diet indices.

“Our findings offer hope for those looking for ways to improve their quality of life after undergoing surgery, radiation, and other common therapies for prostate cancer, which can cause significant side effects," added Loeb, "Adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet, while reducing meat and dairy, is a simple step that patients can take."