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Have you just been diagnosed with low risk prostate cancer?
I was diagnosed with low-risk PCa at 67, this week marks two years on AS.
My diagnosis was a "wake-up" call that, oddly enough, has ended up significantly improving my quality of life.
Some in this group may be aware that I implemented an “aggressive AS protocol” that was primarily based on a randomized clinical trial called ERASE.
“The ERASE trial demonstrated that HIIT increased cardiorespiratory fitness levels and decreased PSA levels, PSA velocity, and prostate cancer cell growth in men with localized prostate cancer who were under active surveillance.”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2783273It’s a “road less traveled”; but for those just diagnosed with low risk PCa, I’m a living testimony of how ERASE can work.
….not to mention that I lost 30 lbs (BMI now at 23), no longer have sleep apnea (17 years on a CPAP machine), eliminated chronic shoulder inflammation, increased HDL from 26 up to 50, dropped triglycerides from 230 down to 85, lowered LDL from 125 to 75.
I’m now in the top 3-5% in fitness for my age (69), when at 66 I had to stop a slow jog, after only one lap around the track.
There’s no comparing my improved quality of life to even decades ago…I can’t remember when I was in such great shape.
IMHO if I can do it anyone with low risk PCa can….but action, perseverance and support are necessary…especially at the beginning. Success will provide more than enough motivation after 3-6 months…
Besides improving your VO2 Max, the strength of your heart muscle can be significantly improved.
The attached chart demonstrates how my average heart rate dropped substantially, as my fitness improved.
The top three charts show my HIIT performance comparing three IDENTICALLY timed (1:33) 0.25 mile sprints...my average HR dropped from 181 bpm to 141 bpm, over the 2.5 year period.
The bottom three charts show my 5K performance at the same pace (~9:48min/mile), over a 3 year period...my average HR dropped from 161 bpm to 123 bpm to maintain the same pace. Now I primarily run my 5K’s in Zone 2 (70% of max HR), along with my HIIT.
In any case, if you’ve just been diagnosed with low risk PCa…take heart…it could be the beginning of an even better quality of life!
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Great to hear how this improved your quality of life, congrats! I'm curious whether you personally saw decrease in PSA level and cancer cell growth that you can attribute to the program.
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1 Reaction@twhite33
My prebiopsy PSA level was 7.8 and has averaged 5.9, over the two years I have been implementing my "aggressive AS protocol". My most recent PSA level was 5.76 (a 26% reduction).
My prebiopsy mpMRI indicated three lesions, one PIRADS 3, one PIRADS 4 and one PIRADS 5. A 12 month follow-up mpMRI indicated that the the PIRADS 3 & 4 lesions were not visible and the PIRADS 5 lesion was smaller and its T2 & DWI signals were reduced from "moderate" to "mild". The same radiologist reviewed and compared both sets of images.
Also, my VO2 Max, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, (see attachment) increased from 39.5 to 49.5, over the two years I've been implementing my program.
All this doesn't prove my program was the cause of these results; however it's entirely consistent with the conclusions reported in the ERASE randomized clinical trial, which found:
“The ERASE trial demonstrated that HIIT increased cardiorespiratory fitness levels and decreased PSA levels, PSA velocity, and prostate cancer cell growth in men with localized prostate cancer who were under active surveillance.”
From my POV, as a retired chemical engineer, the evidence has been convincing enough that I'm sticking with the program 🙂
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1 Reactionsorry for the dumb question,
but what is HIIT?
@shalom7777777
High Intensity Interval Training
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