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Flavonoid consumption may be linked to less aggressive prostate cancer

Category: Prostate

HealthDay News has reported that a new study may indicate that consuming more flavonoid compounds can help curb the threat of aggressive prostate cancer.

The research looked at the dietary habits of 1,900 subjects who were enrolled at the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. The results, which were discussed at an annual meeting at American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, Calif., showed that those who consumed flavonoids - an antioxidant found in plant-based foods - had 25 percent less of a chance of being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The groups that benefited the most were men over 65 years old and smokers.

While the researchers predict that flavonoids may also help prevent prostate cancer, they were unable to draw any conclusions because they had no healthy control group.

"We compared men with low-aggressive disease to high aggressive," study author Susan Steck, of the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health, M.P.H., told HealthDay News "We did not have a healthy comparison group. So while we think that consuming more fruits and vegetables will improve the odds of not getting prostate cancer altogether, we can't say that based on our study results."

Some of the main sources of flavonoids that patients consumed included green tea, black tea, strawberries, onions, kale and broccoli. Because there was no single food source that was tied to the decrease in aggressive cancer, the researchers suggested that it may be a combination of flavonoids.

Prostate cancer facts
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) noted that prostate cancer, which can be detected with a lab test is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men over 75 years old. People who have the highest risk of developing the ailment include African-American men, men over 60 years old as well as men who have a brother or father who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Other at-risk groups include men with alcohol abuse, farmers, men who eat a high diet of animal fat, tire plant workers and painters.

According to the NIH, symptoms include a slow urinary stream, as well as blood in the urine or semen. Many times a doctor will suggest getting a biopsy of the prostate if you receive a high score on your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. PSAs are prostate-produced proteins, which can be detected with a blood test.