While a man in Sweden is twice as likely as a man in Hong Kong to have latent cancerous cells in his prostate, he is more than eight times more likely to die of prostate cancer. 9 Such studies suggest that environmental factors, particularly diet, may play an important role in the progression of the disease. Plant-based diets are not only rich in protective nutrients, especially carotenoids such as lycopene, the natural red color in tomatoes. They are also very low in fat. Reduced fat intake helps avert testosterone excesses.
Men consuming high-fat diets typically have elevated levels of testosterone in their blood.
Rather, it can overstimulate the cells of the prostate, increasing cancer risk. Although a certain amount of IGF-I in the blood is normal, high levels are linked to increased cancer risk. In general, excess intake of calories or proteins increases the amount of IGF-I in the blood, and the inclusion of dairy products in the diet merits particular attention. According to a review published by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, at least 11 human population studies have linked dairy product consumption and prostate cancer. 20 People increasing the amount of dairy products in their diets are typically found to have higher levels of IGF-I in their blood.