Yet another paper, just out, on how CR can change cellular activity and pathway activity (in rats, in this study) that may be related to processes of aging and disease ...
sciencedaily.com/releases/2...
The idea is that CR is essentially anti-inflammatory, and that by looking at the pathways involved we might develop therapies along those lines. Of course, instead of taking drugs that have an effect similar to eating less, why not just... eat less?
One problem is that we are not rats. But even if the theoretical benefits of CR could translate to humans (and specifically, human men with advanced prostate cancer!), the bigger problem is this: how sustainable is calorie restriction for most guys? It's not just about the caloric levels that we NEED for adequate nutrition, but the levels we WANT, to feel satisfied.
I did a CR keto diet for a few months and my PSA went from 20 to 13. I have no way of knowing if the drop in PSA was related to reduced calories, a change in the composition of those calories, the addition of specific nutrients, or none of those things at all. I do know that a few months later, after I quit that diet, my PSA rebounded up to 26. (Again, no way of truly knowing why... I had also changed some supplements.)
If I really thought that diet was helping slow my PC (and I did) then why didn't I stick with it? It wasn't because I was actually all that hungry on this diet. It was, frankly, because... I like to eat!
And as we head towards winter and the days get cooler and shorter, just "liking" certain foods turns into CRAVING them, and not seeming able to get enough of them. In short, I turn into an addict. If I don't get my fix, a state of being "hangry" or restless (or depressed) nearly always results.
Sometimes I wonder if the higher rates of PC seen in the wealthier countries of northern latitudes is related not just to easier access to cheap and plentiful cancer-promoting foods, but that seasonal changes cause many of us to crave and eat WAY too much of these foods, especially as we age and become sedentary and have lesser need for growth-promoting foods (especially foods that over-activate high-growth pathways at the cellular level).
For myself, as winter approaches I tend to start eating as if I was going to hibernate or have no access to food for months. Then winter arrives. And I keep on eating. Perhaps we evolved such that winter was SUPPOSED to be a time of calorie restriction, and an increase in PC is the outcome of our escape from that destiny.
Fat and happy, maybe... but at a cost?
The spring weather has me encouraged that I can get back to nutrient-dense eating with far fewer calories (lots of salads and veggies). Of course, if I am on a treatment that gets my PSA close to zero, I will likely have no way to continue any observations on how PSA seems to be changing with diet.
Has anyone else tried CR or fasting, or know of others who have, whether for PC or not and whether successful or not?
Difficulty Maintaining Weight
Inflammatory, Hyperinsulinemic, and Insulin Resistant Diets and Lifestyles and the Risk of Prostate Cancer Progression and Mortality
Prostate Cancer Diet Update . . . August 2021
Can some PC’s stop producing PSA?
