Prostate Cancer Nutrition: Calgary Experts Explain How Diet Influences Recovery

Fighting prostate cancer takes a lot out of patients and their caregivers. At the end of a treatment week, there's not much left in the tank for cooking or grocery shopping. You may stop at a drive-thru or just head straight to bed without a meal.

It's hard to say which option is worse.

Health specialists say that what you eat - and what you don't eat - can make a huge difference in your recovery. The nutrition experts at PROSTAID Calgary explain.

Rising Cancer Rates

After dropping for more than a decade, rates of prostate cancer - the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Canadian men - are rising again. Data from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation shows that prostate cancer rates have increased 0.8% each year from 2014 to 2022. Additionally, advanced-stage diagnoses among men aged 50 and older have also risen during this period.

While you can't turn back the clock, you can make lifestyle choices that support recovery. But between the cancer and the treatment-related fatigue, the deck is stacked against you. You're in a fight for your life - there's no extra energy or time for cooking and trips to the grocery store.

You Are What You Eat

Nutrition plays a significant role in prostate cancer outcomes, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Malnutrition is known to delay healing and increase risk for chronic disease, according to the NIH. However, 40% to 80% of cancer patients experience reduced food intake due to treatment side effects, including nausea, taste changes, fatigue, and appetite loss.

Some doctors encourage patients to eat whatever they like during treatment to avoid extreme weight loss and fatigue during treatment - a strategy that's not without drawbacks. Few patients crave broccoli. More crave burgers. While this advice is meant for short spans, patients often continue throughout their treatment.

Doctor's Orders

Food is no fun when you're not hungry, and everything tastes like cardboard. But making poor nutritional choices can literally undo the progress you've made. The experts at PROSTAID Calgary have the following recommendations:

• Avoid fast food, which promotes inflammation and oxidative stress that fuels cancer growth.
• Diets high in saturated fats, red meats, and processed meats can also increase disease risk and progression, according to the NIH.
• High-sugar diets promote inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity, which can drive cancer
• Skip foods that cause unhealthy weight gain, which is often linked to more aggressive tumors.
• In contrast, plant-based diets can reduce progression risk by 47 percent.

If cooking feels like too much, consider ordering healthy food from a delivery service.

Navigating each day while battling prostate cancer is like living life on Hard Mode. But your nutritional choices can make your battle longer or shorter, and less or more effective. An apple a day won't keep the doctor away, but it can contribute to better outcomes for you and your loved ones.

Prostaid Calgary
City: Calgary
Address: 1600 90 Avenue Southwest
Website: https://prostaid.org/