A diet, physical activity, and stress reduction intervention in men with rising prostate-specific antigen after treatment for prostate cancer Cancer Epidemiology, 03/27/2012

Hebert JR et al. – Results are discussed in the context of conventional treatment strategies that were more aggressive when this study was being conducted in the mid–2000s. Positive health changes in a number of lifestyle parameters were observed with the intervention, and both increased fruit and reduced saturated fat intakes were associated with maintaining PSA levels in men with biochemically recurrent disease.

• A randomized trial of an intensive diet, physical activity, and meditation intervention was conducted in men with rising post-treatment PSA after definitive treatment for PrCA.
• Intention-to-treat methods were used to compare usual care to the intervention in 47 men with complete data.
• Signal detection methods were used to identify dietary factors associated with PSA change.

• The intervention and control groups did not differ statistically on any demographic or disease-related factor.
• Although the intervention group experienced decreases of 39% in intakes of saturated fatty acid (SFA as percent of total calories) (p<0.0001) and 12% in total energy intake (218kcal/day, p<0.05)], no difference in PSA change was observed by intervention status.
• Signal detection methods indicated that in men increasing their consumption of fruit, 56% experienced no rise in PSA (vs. 29% in men who did not increase their fruit intake).
• Among men who increased fruit and fiber intakes, PSA increased in 83% of participants who also increased saturated fatty acid intake (vs. 44% in participants who decreased or maintained saturated fatty acid intake).