A 'rainbow' diet of colourful fruit and veg is the best way to prevent prostate cancer, according to a new study.
Eaten on a regular basis, the diet, similar to the Mediterranean Diet, is rich in micronutrients that help to prevent the cancer.
It was found that the diet also speeds up recovery among men who undergo radiation treatment for the disease.
The findings, from two studies published in the journal Cancers, highlight the importance of a Mediterranean or Asian diet that includes these foods.
Plasma samples from 116 Caucasian men diagnosed with late onset of prostate cancer and 132 matched controls from the South Australian population were collected and analysed for their concentration of micronutrients.
This revealed that prostate cancer sufferers had low levels of lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene, and selenium and high levels of iron, sulphur, and calcium, relative to controls.
Increased DNA damage after radiation exposure was also associated with low lycopene and selenium in blood plasma, increasing the risk of prostate cancer and sensitivity to the damaging effects of radiation.
Lycopene is found in red, pink, and orange fruit and veg including peppers, tomatoes, melons, papayas, grapes, peaches, watermelons, and cranberries.
Selenium-rich foods include white meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, and nuts.
Dr Permal Deo, a study co-author from the University of South Australia's Clinical and Health Sciences Unit said eating foods that are naturally rich in lycopene and selenium is preferable to taking supplements, where the benefits are limited, according to previous studies.
He added: “Our recommendation is to adopt a Mediterranean diet enlisting the help of a dietician because people absorb nutrients in different ways, depending on the food, the digestive system, the person’s genotype and possibly their microbiome."
Prostate cancer kills more than 12,000 men a year in the UK with 475,000 currently living with or having suffered from it.
It has been linked to ethnicity, family history and age but there has been little research into nutritional deficiencies associated with it.
Dr Deo added: "There is strong evidence that being overweight and tall increases the risk of prostate cancer.
"Diets high in dairy products and low in vitamin E, found in plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables may also increase the risk but the evidence is less clear.”
The research is the first to evaluate plasma concentrations of micronutrients and trace elements with respect to prostate cancer.
