Red meat & Prostrate Cancer

@drcopp
FWIW I have cut my consumption of bacon and lunchmeats down very close to zero, but this is more because of fat and salt content than association with cancer. And generally eat far less red meat than I was brought up with, but again not directly with cancer in mind. As far as that goes, I don't know. The sun is a class I carcinogen yet a little sun exposure seems to have important benefits. The cancer risk from meat may come more from unbalancing your diet in that direction - yet these carnivore diets seem very popular and if they brought on added cancer risk in proportion I think we'd know it. So I still arrive at moderation in all things, and try to eat better quality red meat when I eat it at all, and also try to avoid burning it, another detail that might have outsized consequences.

The paper is quite good, they make it clear that one MUST watch nutrition more carefully if you pursue a vegan diet. Still it reads as someone supporting a decision already made, not so much concluding it from a neutral study.

I had a neighbor who was vegan and always telling me about it, he never seemed to mention supplements, yet anytime I raised an issue he was already taking care of it - he did his homework! I also surveyed a number of vegan restaurants around town with another friend who was on the Ornish diet, one impressed me, but usually I get better food at a general restaurant that has some vegan dishes, IMHO.

@mjp0512 Good for you!! You know, two things that are glaringly absent in these dietary discussions are the effects of water and air…
No one ever talks about all the harmful chemicals we all ingest in our water, which is like 98% of our body weight. What about all THESE substances causing PCa?? Oh, you have filters? Good luck with those because unless you change the medium (charcoal, coconut husks) VERY frequently, you are filtering nothing.
And air? How many breaths do we take every single day of our lives? Do we know what is contained in it? We do not.
No matter where you live - even in a rural area - there are micro-particulates in the air which have a direct impact on our health; many times, these particulates (and gases) are directly linked to cancer formation.
So to really focus on food only is crazy when drinking water (including bottled, beverages, prepared soups, etc) is so much more impactful and breathing is something you cannot do without!
I live way out on Eastern Long Island in NY. Most of us call it ‘God’s Country’ because of the open farm fields and blue skies over the bays and LI Sound. But, as I soon found out, most of the water here is contaminated with Temik (aldicarb), an insecticide used to kill the potato beetle. Union Carbide will provide filters if you use well water. It’s also been discovered that POA/PFOAs are present in many of the municipal water supplies as well! Gee, WTF is coming out of my tap here in the Garden of Eden?
And the air, so fresh blowing in off the water, is filled with a toxic blend of particulates which arises from the NYC Metro area and blows easterly right onto our little spot of paradise. No wonder the sunsets are so beautiful - gas and dust provide the perfect medium for UV rays to reflect, bounce around and offer technicolor displays when the sun goes down…and I should worry about eating a steak??🤔
Phil

I followed a very healthy Mediterranean-style diet even before my prostate surgery last September, with little to no processed food and very minimal red meat. After my prostate cancer diagnosis, I refined my diet further with the goal of reducing the risk of recurrence.

My diet now consists mostly of fish (especially salmon and sardines), tree nuts like walnuts and almonds, broccoli and other leafy greens, tomatoes (particularly cooked), mushrooms, whole grains, lentils, beans, pomegranates, blueberries, yogurt, and fruits such as mangoes and cantaloupe. I’ve also added turmeric and ginger, which fit well into this overall pattern.

@heavyphil "... in our water, which is like 98% of our body weight."

Try 60-70%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water

@carbcounter Good discussion-there's a lot of junk in so called vegan foods at the store, so we are careful to use the Yuka app (from Europe) on our phones to rate the healthy index of foods on a scale of 1-100. It gives the dangerous additives, fat, sugar, sodium and overall has performed the best for our needs. It even rates cosmetics, which my wife likes.
As we age, our bodies are less able to fight off cancers since our defenses aren't as strong. We don't metabolize/absorb nutrients as well. We watch for iron and B vitamins in foods and take a senior multivitamin, as we are at greater risk of strokes if we don't have B vitamins on board, according to nutritionfacts.org.