The impact of lifestyle on prostate cancer
After you’re finished with your recommended prostate cancer treatment, you may have to adjust your habits to stay healthy. Research shows that a balanced diet and lifestyle can reduce the risk of recurrence, which is when new cancer cells are detected in the body.
Although up to 40% of men will experience a recurrence, it’s important to remember that there are factors within your control to lower that risk. The following recommendations can help reduce your risk of recurrence and stay healthy overall.
Exercise regularly
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, vigorous exercise can significantly reduce the risk of recurrence compared to exercising at an easier pace. Consider taking a fast walk each day interspersed with jogging if you can. Running, swimming, or bicycling are also good options to get your heart rate up.
When it comes to exercising, make sure to consult with your physician, start slow, and don’t push yourself beyond your limits. It may also be helpful to consider working with a personal trainer who can help you safely build strength and endurance. Find workouts you enjoy so that exercise is something you look forward to.
Eat a more plant-based diet
A balanced, plant-based diet filled with vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, seeds, and legumes can help protect against cancer recurrence. This way of eating also reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. If you’re unsure of how to start a plant-based diet, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about tips to help you incorporate more of these foods into your meals.
Limit your red meat intake and avoid processed meat
The American Cancer Society recommends limiting red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and processed meat (sausage, hot dogs, bacon, deli meat), both to prevent cancer and to keep it from recurring. Red and processed meats also increase your risk for other conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
Find your healthy body weight
By following the recommendations above, you should be able to reach—and maintain—a healthy body weight. One tool you can use to guide you is the body mass index (BMI), which provides a quick and simple way to estimate a healthy weight range based on your height. However, while BMI can be a useful starting point, it’s important to remember that it does not account for muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, or fat distribution.
This means if you have a high muscle mass, you may have a high BMI despite having low body fat. Alternatively, if you have low muscle mass, you might fall into a “normal” BMI range but still have excess body fat. Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor or nutritionist about other factors to consider when thinking about the bigger picture of your health.
If you’re worried that your body is experiencing new symptoms such as rising PSA levels, issues with urination, bone pain, fatigue and/or sudden weight loss, make sure to talk to your care team immediately.
If you have additional questions about a possible recurrence of prostate cancer and you’d like to speak with someone, you can connect with an Outcomes4Me oncology nurse practitioner at no charge through the Outcomes4Me app, using the “Ask Outcomes4Me” button.
