The Journal of Urology
Volume 183, Issue 1 , Pages 345-350, January 2010

Growth Inhibitory Effect of Low Fat Diet on Prostate Cancer Cells: Results of a Prospective, Randomized Dietary Intervention Trial in Men With Prostate Cancer

  • William J. Aronson

      Affiliations

    • Urology Section, Department of Surgery, Veterans Administration, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California
    • Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence and requests for reprints: Department of Urology, University of California-Los Angeles, Box 951738, Los Angeles, California 90095-1738 (telephone: 310-268-3446; FAX: 310-268-4858)
    • ,
  • R. James Barnard

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physiological Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • Financial interest and/or other relationship with Pritikin Longevity Center.
    • ,
  • Stephen J. Freedland

      Affiliations

    • Department of Surgery, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Division of Urologic Surgery and Duke Prostate Center, Departments of Surgery and Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
    • ,
  • Susanne Henning

      Affiliations

    • Division of Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • David Elashoff

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • Patricia M. Jardack

      Affiliations

    • General Clinical Research Center, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • Pinchas Cohen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • David Heber

      Affiliations

    • Division of Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • Naoko Kobayashi

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Received 28 October 2009 published online 16 November 2009.

Purpose

A high fat Western diet and sedentary lifestyle may predispose men to prostate cancer through changes in serum hormones and growth factors. We evaluated the effect of a low fat diet on serum factors affecting prostate cancer cell growth by performing a prospective, randomized dietary intervention trial in men with prostate cancer.

Materials and Methods

We randomized 18 men with prostate cancer who did not receive prior therapy to a low fat (15% kcal), high fiber, soy protein supplemented diet or a Western (40% kcal fat) diet for 4 weeks. Fasting serum was collected at baseline and after the intervention to measure prostate specific antigen, sex hormones, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I and II, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins, lipids and fatty acids. LNCaP cells (ATCC®) were cultured in medium containing pre-intervention and post-intervention human serum to assess the in vitro effect of the diet on prostate cancer cell proliferation.

Results

Subjects in each group were highly compliant with the dietary intervention. Serum from men in the low fat group significantly decreased the growth of LNCaP cells relative to Western diet serum (p = 0.03). There were no significant between group changes in serum prostate specific antigen, sex hormones, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I and II, and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. Serum triglyceride and linoleic acid (ω-6) levels were decreased in the low fat group (p = 0.034 and 0.005, respectively). Correlation analysis revealed that decreased ω-6 and increased ω-3 fatty acid correlated with decreased serum stimulated LNCaP cell growth (r = 0.64, p = 0.004 and r = −0.49, p = 0.04, respectively).

Conclusions

In this prospective, randomized dietary intervention trial a low fat diet resulted in changes in serum fatty acid levels that were associated with decreased human LNCaP cancer cell growth. Further prospective trials are indicated to evaluate the potential of low fat diets for prostate cancer prevention and treatment.

Key Words: prostate, prostatic neoplasms, dietary fats, fatty acids, ω-6

Abbreviations and Acronyms: BMI, body mass index, DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, IGF, insulin-like growth factor, IGFBP, IGF binding protein, PSA, prostate specific antigen

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 Study received institutional internal review board approval.

 Supported by Specialized Programs of Research Excellence P50CA 92131-01A1 (WJA), 1RO1CA1162-42-01 (WJA, SH), Department of Veterans Affairs (WJA, SJF), Department of Defense (WJA,SJF), The American Urological Association Foundation Astellas Rising Star in Urology Award (SJF), M01-RR00865 and General Clinical Research Centers Program (PMJ).

 See Guest Editorial on page 13.

PII: S0022-5347(09)02317-9

doi:10.1016/j.juro.2009.08.104

Refers to article:

  • All Fats are Not Bad: A Smart Lesson to be Learned , 13 November 2009

    Richard J. Ablin, Wen G. Jiang
    The Journal of Urology January 2010 (Vol. 183, Issue 1, Pages 13-14)

The Journal of Urology
Volume 183, Issue 1 , Pages 345-350, January 2010

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