Has anyone come across research that speaks to what is the best diet strategy in terms of macros? I just finished my last radiation treatment! However, I will still be on ADT/Lupron for another 4 months. So it’s time to buckle up and get back to a cancer-preventive diet along with my current exercise program.
Using MyFitnessPal app, I have set up these target macros: 45% carbs, 35% fat, and 20% protein, based on a minimum caloric intake for my weight. Interestingly, I came across a study which tested a low carb diet of 20% for cancer patients. Interestingly, the app says the micronutrients need to equal to 100%.
Does anyone have any words of wisdom as to the proper % balances between the three from a cancer prevention perspective?
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brilliant17
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All I can say is eat a balanced diet. Something like the Mediterranean diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables and protein. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. I know there are people on here that tout you should eat X and avoid Y. Testosterone is what feeds prostate cancer; hence why almost everyone is on ADT. Just my input. Read my bio. I’m an old timer with this bitch of a disease.
I agree with what is written below. High protein. Especially fish high in fatty acids/Omega 3. I have read that farmed salmon does not contain the same nutritional value as wild salmon.
My diet looks about opposite to yours. tons of protein, very few carbs and don't monitor fats. There are so many ways to eat but not sure if any contribute to cancer or cancer fighting. Every body is different and acts accordingly
I am going to leave two comments and you can take them or leave them.
Just finished a YouTube video by Dr Geo on diets and prostate cancer. He practices at one of the major cancer centers in NYC. Might interest you.
Second, I am almost 80 and go to the gym and do aerobics exercise 6 and 7 days a week respectively. After doing some research I have incorporation a new technique into my resistance routine.
I am now doing a farmers walk with two 25 pound drum bells for about a 1/4 mile each day.
You might want to look into this for building resistance to osteoporosis, gripe strength, balance, core, legs etc. I found it to be a really good overall exercise and easy to do.
Thank you. I just did a quick lookup on YT and Dr. Geo has several out there on diets and PCa. I will check them out. Good tip on the use of weights while walking. Congratulations on your workout routine.
His input is at a much different level than your input below. His viewpoint is an overview of the different diets in relationship to our cancer and their impacts and potential.
Aimed at the general cancer population like myself that is clueless and just starting this journey. Based on your input it perhaps will be at to high a overview to be useful to you with your level of knowledge regarding diets, etc.
If you eat too much protein it puts a load on your kidneys. At this age at lot of us spend the last few years on dialysis.
Eat too much simple carbs, it starts push you into diabetes territory. A lot of us at this age are prediabetic or diabetic. All the satisfying carbs are simple carbs. Like sugar and sweets.
A lot of bad oils out there. Most have lots of Arachidonic acid. If you don't have prostate cancer it's not a big issue, but they are killers otherwise.
Arachidonic acid (AA) has been shown to significantly influence prostate cancer (PCa) progression:
Stimulation of Cell Growth: AA stimulates the growth of prostate cancer cells through the production of metabolites via 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathways.
Metastasis and Inflammation: Diets high in omega-6 fatty acids, including AA, are associated with increased risk of bone metastasis in PCa. AA promotes the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, enhancing cancer cell survival and proliferation.
Inhibition of Apoptosis: AA suppresses ceramide-induced cell death in prostate cancer cells, contributing to tumor aggressiveness.
For oil you really need to limit yourself to real non- counterfeit olive oil (best to stick to California certified oil), avocado oil, hazelnut, and almond.
The very worst oil for us folks is canola oil.
Taking Omega 3 oil can counterbalance some of the bad oil..
There are some good meal prep places that ship nice organic balanced meals that can do all the balancing for you.
Lots of info there, you have great knowledge. However there are a few things I don’t understand, over my head. One thing, I lift three times a week along with some cardio. Trying to maintain muscle mass as I’ve been on ADT for a decade. Been drinking protein isolate before and after my workout. Is that bad for the kidneys? Also no matter how much lifting and cardio I do weight gain has been steady over the yrs now at 265 whereas I was 200 when I started.
I’m on a plant based diet with some fish and daily exercise. No fat, except a bit of olive oil, but mainly nuts & seeds. No alcohol, no added sugar. Pls google Dr. Fuhrman, for me he’s one of the very best.
Excellent info except for the alcohol. I'm a retired food scientist (USDA/FSIS) wine is an excellent probiotic . By the way I'm an 84yr old 20 survivor . I write an online column in the Albemarle TradeWinds magazine titled "What's in your diet".
Wine is good, if it would have alcohol. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, already in small quantities. So I’ve decided to stay away from alcohol after diagnosis.
As a gym owner, and certified in Sports Nutrition, AND with a father that battle PC for 18 years and lives a VERY STRONG and full life...
We never actually measured exact macros.
Party due to his taste buds for the last 3 years.
But mainly to keep him getting in enough protein to slow the muscle sparing that comes with age and less activity.
He weighed 148. So we tried to keep his protein around 100+ Grams daily based on his lean body weight. This was done with eggs, meat, beans, protein shakes and drinks.
We tried to have him consume as much fruit and veggies as he could tolerate. Even putting greens in his smoothies to get in the detoxifying phytochemicals as often as possible.
And kept fats in the form of snacking on nuts, almond butters, olive oil and avocados. Plus fish when he was in the mood.
I have found that although some people "need" to count numbers. It is not necessary and can add added stress to what is already a stressful situation for many.
If you count anything. Try to get in at least one gram of protein per lean pound of bodyweight spread out daily.
More if you are active, or feel that you are losing muscle.
And, the most important factor of all is to do bodyweight movements or strength training if possible to keep strong, and help with your mindset.
Sending love and strength to you all,
Dawn
*here's me with my amazing and life-loving dad at his 88th birthday with my mom who is 86
I agree about 1 g per pound protein per day. As we age our bodies don't use protein as well as they used to. I've shifted to more hypertrophy-based weight-lifting over the past year and gained about 25 lbs with this approach (a little fat, but mostly muscle in accordance with increase in barbell weight). Protein shakes are a necessity. I avoid processed foods most of the time. I'll shift back to a strength focused program in the fall.
My father died of metastatic prostate cancer when he was 86. He had been active, but just walking and doing stuff on and around the house. He was skinny and frail at the time after having curbed his appetite for many years because he was afraid of his heart (previous heart attack years before). He definitely was not getting enough protein in his diet, probably not much more than 50 g most days. The year before he died they could have treated him for the cancer (I wasn't told with what, perhaps chemo), but he decided to just ride it out in palliative care (died at home surrounded by family), having already been weakened by a hernia operation.
Food intake fuels our bodies, and what our bodies need from fuel depends on a lot of factors including whether and how we exercise, other medical conditions, etc etc. For those struggling with weight gain, as I did while on ADT, I have no magic answers.
You get some deep dives into the nutrition with such a question, but of course you asked for it. A diverse diet of fresh food fairly low in carbohydrates is fine. Don’t forget to make sure it’s not an overly regimented change though , or you’ll be unlikely to stay with it.
Not mentioned in the comments but very important: ADT slows metabolism significantly, so eating less when on it is at least as important as what you’re eating. Eat less.
The exercise is more important than any of it. Great luck to you!
To loco- regional abdominal lymph nodes. Treated with 10 days of high-dose SBRT. Prostatectomy in 1996. Also have Small-tissue Sarcoma - three surgeries.
Oh what a question, gauranteed to get a multitude of different answers.
From what I've read, I don't think you should be looking to some ideal ratio between carb/proteins/fats. For cancer, I think you should be mindful of deuterium. I believe you should be trying to keep this low. It's not just diet, but exercise, sweating, sunlight are also ways that your body removes it.
But for the diet specifically, grass fed saturated fats are the lowest. If you're plant based, you should consider coconut oil, olive oil and avacodos for the fats but greens are particularly low.
High in deuterium are sugars and non green carbs.
Try not to drink lots of tap water. That is also high in deuterium. Your mitochrondria produce the required water for your body. This is why animals can exist in dessert areas with little water. Saturated fat is a very good source because it creates roughly twice as much water than carb based.
You can purchase deuterium depleted water but its expensive and you shouldn't really have to.
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