Men's Health

Diet and prostate cancer

Can following a plant-based diet offer extra protection?

By , Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

photo of a man shopping in the product department of a supermarket while holding a basket full of fresh food selections

A plant-based diet can help people lower their risk for heart disease and diabetes. But what about prostate cancer? Can this medically touted eating pattern protect you from the most common cancer among men?

"Unfortunately, there is no miracle prostate cancer diet," says Dr. Bradley McGregor, an oncologist with Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "But as we learn more about the role diet plays in disease prevention, there is growing evidence that plant-based diets may lower your risk of prostate cancer and even help slow its spread."

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About the Author

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Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

Matthew Solan is the executive editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. He previously served as executive editor for UCLA Health’s Healthy Years and as a contributor to Duke Medicine’s Health News and Weill Cornell Medical College’s … See Full Bio
View all posts by Matthew Solan

About the Reviewer

photo of Howard E. LeWine, MD

Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing

Dr. Howard LeWine is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. See Full Bio
View all posts by Howard E. LeWine, MD

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