Cancer Treatment: Why a Vegetarian Diet Helps

PCRI's Executive Director, Dr. Mark Scholz, MD, gives three lines of evidence to argue that a vegetarian or vegan diet is ideal for men with prostate cancer hoping to achieve optimal outcomes.

0:30 There is one principle regarding diet for men with prostate cancer that overrides all others in its significance, and it is that vegetarian and vegan diets have better outcomes than diets that include meat and animal products. It's difficult to change diets and so the purpose of the video is to provide information to help men have a solid foundation for understanding why a vegan or vegetarian diet can improve their situation.

0:53 In Dr. Scholz's own practice he has witnessed a number of cases in which men with rising PSAs choose to go on a strict vegan or vegetarian diet. In cases where men lose weight (suggesting fidelity to the diet), he has consistently seen a cessation of PSA rise, a PSA drop, and then steady healthy PSA results.

2:22 The second line of argument deals with the metabolic nature of prostate cancer. Most people know that with most cancers it is important to avoid sugar. PET scans have shown that most cancers metabolize sugars within minutes. Prostate cancer, however, does not have that relationship with sugar. Instead, new technology has found that prostate cancers metabolize fats (lipids) and proteins (amino acids) at the same fast pace that most cancers metabolize sugar. These lipids and amino acids are the building blocks of animal tissues.

4:06 The third argument comes from T. Colin Campbell's book "The China Study." Campbell rigorously compared regions of China and found that areas with low consumption of animal products also had low incidences of cancer, including prostate cancer.

4:56 Should all men with prostate cancer stop eating animal products? It might be overboard for men with low-grade prostate cancers to make drastic lifestyle changes due to their cancer. Men with advanced disease (Royal), however, definitely ought to consider cutting out animal products.

Don’t know your stage? Take the quiz: Visit http://www.prostatecancerstaging.org

To learn more about prostate cancer visit http://www.pcri.org

To download the free Staging Guide visit http://www.pcri.org/prostate-cancer-s...

Who we are:

The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping you research your treatment options. We understand that you have many questions, and we can help you find the answers that are specific to your case. All of our resources are designed by a multidisciplinary team of advocates and expert physicians, for patients. We believe that by educating yourself about the disease, you will have more productive interactions with your medical professionals and receive better-individualized care. Feel free to explore our website or call our free helpline at 1 (800) 641-7274 with any questions that you have. Our Federal Tax ID # is 95-4617875 and qualifies for maximum charitable gift deductions by individual donors.

The information on the Prostate Cancer Research Institute's YouTube channel is provided with the understanding that the Institute is not engaged in rendering medical advice or recommendation. The information provided in these videos should not replace consultations with qualified health care professionals to meet your individual medical needs.

#ProstateCancer #Prostate #MarkScholzMD