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Plant-based diet reduces the likelihood of prostate cancer progression
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Men with prostate cancer can significantly reduce the chances of their disease getting worse by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco.
A study of more than 2,000 men with localized prostate cancer found that eating a predominantly plant-based diet was associated with a 47% lower risk of cancer progression compared to those who consumed the most animal products.
This meant simply adding one or two servings of healthy foods a day, especially vegetables, fruits and whole grains, while cutting back on animal products like dairy and meat. The study followed the men, with an average age of 65, over time to see how dietary factors affected the progression of their cancer.
Plant-based diets include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, tea and coffee. The researchers measured consumption using a plant-based food index and compared men in the top 20% with those in the bottom 20%.
"These findings may help people make better, healthier choices overall across their diet, rather than just adding or eliminating individual foods," said Vivian N. Liu, former lead clinical research coordinator at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health and first author of the study published in JAMA Network Open.
“Progression to more advanced disease is one of many important concerns among prostate cancer patients, their families, caregivers and physicians,” she added. “This adds to the many other health benefits associated with consuming a predominantly plant-based diet, such as reduced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.”
Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, and evidence is mounting of their benefits for patients with prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer among men in the country after nonmelanoma skin cancer.
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown to protect against prostate cancer, and previous studies have consistently demonstrated the importance of dietary factors for overall health and well-being.
Small changes to your diet every day are helpful. Higher plant-based dietary intake after prostate cancer diagnosis has also recently been linked to improved quality of life, including sexual function, urinary function, and vitality, so it's a win-win situation."
Stacy A. Kenfield, MD, senior author, is a professor of urology at UCSF and the Helen Diller Family Chair in Population Science in Urologic Cancer.