Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men after lung cancer. It contributes to 15% of male cancer diagnosis. A number of lifestyle factors, such as diet and obesity, contribute to cases of prostate cancer. Dietary fat is one of the main contributors to obesity in a person and is therefore one of the main indirect causes of prostate cancer. The remarkably low mortality rate has been due to the widespread prostate specific antigen screening that is regularly conducted in and across all major cities. The PSA screening helps in an early detection of smaller or stage 1 tumors that may or may not form advanced cancer later. Due to the growing incidence of prostate cancer, even after a low mortality rate, prevention of the disease is of prime importance.
The main risk factors for the development of this malignancy are:
- Obesity
- Dietary habits
- Minimum to no physical activity
- Smoking
Obesity and prostate cancer
The relationship between obesity and prostate cancer is attributed to the incidence of the same in obese patients. Obese prostate cancer patients, while undergoing androgen deprivation therapy or ADT experience an increased amount of adipose tissue while having reduced muscularity. This becomes a complicating factor in the same condition and hence increases the chances of reoccurrence of the disease. One of the fundamental contributing factors to obesity is dietary fat. This further complicates the relationship between obesity and prostate cancer.
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Effect of dietary fat on prostate cancer
Dietary fat contributes to obesity, which is not only a potential risk factor but also changes the body composition and creates a risk of co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease. Some of the effects of dietary fat on prostate cancer are:
1. Instigation of cancer forming cells
Dietary fat instigates the creation and growth of cancer cells. This whole process of signals is called IGF signaling. The intake of fat leads to a nudge in this exact pathway, which is also responsible for insulin level fluctuations. In simple terms, the fat in your diet starts a chain of reactions with some chemicals that leads to a circulation of non-malignant cells in our body. This substance attacks people, who are already in the risk factor zone of prostate cancer and aggravates the existent disease in others.
2. Increased androgen levels
Like testosterone, androgens are also hormones in the body that play an important role in the development of a healthy prostate in an individual. These become stimulated with excess of fat in the diet. In early stages of prostate cancer, these androgens help the cancer cells grow and become increasingly more malignant in nature, which leads to a morbid spread of the disease. If the high levels of fat in the diet are not altered immediately in prostate cancer patients, the cells develop from hormone-sensitive cancer to hormone-resistant cancers that are even more difficult to treat.
3. Oxidative stress
The high dietary fat creates a kind of oxidative stress in the body, which leads to the formation of cancer cells. Dietary acids contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the development of a cancerous malignancy.
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4. Fatty acids
Saturated fatty acids in the form of animal fat are found to be one of the major sources of prostate cancer. A study was conducted on men to analyze the difference between the intake of animal and non-animal fat. In the result it was found that those who follow a high fat western diet have a two and a half times higher risk of having prostate cancer than those who followed a diet that is filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
There are still ample amounts of research that needs to be done to correlate dietary fat with being the main cause of prostate cancer, but for now it is a proven harming agent in the disease. A diet low in fat, and particularly in saturated fat, will be beneficial, as it may reduce tumor formation and cancer recurrence even in cancer survivors. In conclusion, diets low in fat may be beneficial at any point in the prostate cancer trajectory.
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