Consuming nuts like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias pistachios and walnuts five or more times a week may reduce the risk of mortality in men suffering from prostate cancer, a new study revealed.
The study was carried out by scientists from Harvard University in U.S over a period of 26 years. According to the research, 6800 of the 47,000 men studied developed prostate cancer. Researchers studied followed-up associations with nut consumption and prostate cancer incidence and survivorship.
The findings showed that there was no association between nut consumption and being diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, prostate cancer patients who consumed nuts five or more times a week after being diagnosed with prostate cancer had a significant 34% lower rate of overall mortality than those who consumed nuts less than once per month. This means that for men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, consuming nuts regularly may help them to reduce the risk of death.
“This is important since more men live with prostate cancer than die from it”, says Ying Bao,lead researcher from Hardvard university and Women’s Hospital in Boston, US.
Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the most lethal in the United States, more than two million men in the U.S claimed to be prostate cancer survivors. “Prostate cancer should be considered seriously as more men are prone to such diseases,” said lead researcher Ying Bao
Researchers also remarked that insulin resistance, a condition in which the cells of the body become resistant to the hormone insulin, may be a key factor in prostate cancer risk and progression.
Maureen Ternus, Executive Director at the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation — a US-based non-profit organization said that eating 1.5 ounces of nuts per day (about 1/3 cup) can have a positive impact on health.
Brazil nuts may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer
In April, a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research suggested that eating Brazil nuts provides some protection to cells against advanced prostate cancer.
The study says that men had high levels of selenium were 60% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer within 17 years than men with low selenium levels.
For men, it is recommended a diet rich lycopene and selenium because this two component can help reduce prostate cancer risk. Lycopene can be found in tomatoes, and tomato-based foods and selenium can be accessed in plant foods, fish, shellfish, some meats, grains, eggs, Brewer’s yeast, and wheat germ.
Source: Nature