Eating 500 calories worth of walnuts a day may slow prostate cancer, reports a new study published in Science Daily.
Researchers at the Davis Cancer Center, part of the University of California found that when mice with a genetically engineered predisposition to prostate cancer were fed the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts a day for 18 weeks, prostate tumour growth was reduced by 30 – 40 percent. In comparison, those mice fed the equivalent levels of Soya bean oil showed no reduction in prostate tumour size.
Dr Paul Davies, who headed the research, noted that the mice fed the walnut rich diet had lower levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) – a protein that has previously been shown to be linked to the development of malignant prostate tumours. Levels of another protein, endothelin, which regulates prostate growth, were also shown to be altered.
In 2004, walnuts became the first whole food to gain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for health claims relating to their cardiovascular protecting properties. Prior to gaining FDA approval, numerous clinical studies had shown that the high levels of anti-oxidants, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats and polyphenol plant compounds contained in walnuts can prevent heart disease. According to Dr Davis, “The bottom line is that what is good for the heart – walnuts – may be good for the prostate as well.”
The researchers deliberately used whole walnuts, as opposed to a supplement extract, noting that previous cancer research has found that foods tend to lose their cancer-protecting benefits when just a single key component is isolated. It seems that the tumour fighting properties of walnuts aren’t linked to a single compound, but are the result of an interaction of several.
Statistics show that prostate cancer effects one in six men, usually over the age of 50; and after lung cancer, has the highest cancer mortality rate. Although there may be an element of genetic predisposition to the disease, rising incidents of prostate cancer in men in their 30 – 40’s suggests that environmental factors such as poor diet and environmental pollution may also be a key factor.
Although not a cure for prostate cancer, the new findings do show promise for both the prevention and control of the disease. The results of the trial, “leave me very hopeful that it could be beneficial in patients” Dr. Davis concluded.
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