Plant-based food lowers prostate risk

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Men who chow down on flavonoids -- in fruits, vegetables, herbs and tea -- are less likely to get aggressive prostate cancer, U.S. researchers say.

Susan E. Steck, an associate professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, and colleagues used data from 920 African-American men and 977 European-American men in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project who were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Participants completed a self-reported dietary history questionnaire to assess flavonoid intake, which was measured using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2011 Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods.

Men with the highest total intake of flavonoids had a 25 percent lower risk for aggressive prostate cancer compared with those men with the lowest flavonoid intake.

"Incorporating more plant-based foods and beverages, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and tea, into the diet may offer some protection against aggressive prostate cancer," Steck said in a statement. "Filling your plate with flavonoid-rich foods is one behavior that can be changed to have a beneficial impact on health."

The findings were presented at the annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Los Angeles.