Study finds diet did not affect PSA levels

A new study conducted by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute, and other centers found that over a four-year period, a low-fat, high-fiber diet had no impact on PSA levels in men without prostate cancer. In addition, the diet did not affect the incidence of prostate cancer in this group of 1,350 men.

According to the study's lead author, Dr. Moshe Shike, Director of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Cancer Prevention and Wellness Program, the failure of diet to influence PSA levels over a relatively short period of time should not be viewed as definitive evidence that diet does not have a preventative effect on prostate cancer.

"This is a rigorous and randomized study that provides valuable data which previously did not exist," says Dr. Shike. "However, we need to consider the impact of a healthy diet over a longer period of time and determine if diet influences the occurrence and growth of prostate cancer without drastically affecting levels of PSA – which is only a surrogate marker for prostate cancer."

The study is being published in the September 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Shike, please contact Christine Hickey in Public Affairs at 212-639-3573.

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