Can certain foods increase your risk for advanced prostate cancer?

They started following 27,607 men without cancer from 1994 to 2008 who developed distant organ metastases (it spread to other parts of the body), and men who died from prostate cancer during the follow-up. This is what the researchers found.

Men who consumed 2.5 or more eggs per week had an 81% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer compared with men who consumed less than 0.5 an egg per week.

It was also found suggestive, but not statistically significant, positive associations between poultry 3.5 servings or more compared to 1.5 servings or less per week, and processed red meat 3 or more servings a week compared to 0.5 serving or less per week. The following study is also interesting.

The researchers examined whether dietary choline or choline-containing compounds increased the risk of lethal prostate cancer (Richman EL, et.al., 2012). These men were followed for 22 years.

47,896 men were included in the study, and they found that the highest quintile choline intake was associated with an increased risk of lethal prostate cancer.

Where do we find high amounts of choline? You may have guessed it, especially in eggs.

We do need choline since the body doesn’t produce enough, but we can get adequate amounts from plant-based food.

References:

Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Chan JM.Egg, red meat, and poultry intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer in the prostate-specific antigen-era: incidence and survival.Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Dec;4(12):2110-21.

Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Zeisel SH, Willett WC, Chan JM.Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival.Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct;96(4):855-63.