Nutrition and prostate cancer

Nutrition is apparently a major risk factor for the development and progres sion of prostate cancer. Based on experimental studies and epidemiologic da ta mainly from case-control studies or cohort studies, there is strong evid ence that reduction of the total energy consumption, a diet comprising less than 30% fat, and increased intake of phytoestrogens, vitamins D and E and selenium could yield a decreased prostate cancer incidence. Furthermore, s ome of these measures appear to have antitumoral capacity even in the prese nce of the disease. These observations have provided a rationale to forward large prospective trials on dietary interventions to prove the efficacy of the concept and further delineate the correlation between nutritional comp ounds and prostate cancer risk. These chemoprevention trials are either aim ing a reduction prostate cancer incidence or a decrease in tumor progressio n. Depending on the study design, large numbers of individuals need to be e nrolled and long follow-up intervals are required thus making such trials h ighly complex and cost-intensive. However, regarding the potential relevanc e of chemoprevention on public health, further efforts to identify nutritio nal factors affecting prostate cancer growth are warranted.