Walnut consumption slows the growth of prostate cancer in mice and has beneficial effects on multiple genes related to the control of tumor growth and metabolism, according to a study by a nutritionist in the Department of Nutrition and a researcher with the UC Davis Cancer Center.
The study shows that when mice with prostate tumors consume an amount of walnuts that could easily be eaten by a man, tumor growth is controlled. Prostate cancer affects one in six American men.
Walnuts, although high in fat, are healthful. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that eating walnuts — rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, antioxidants and other plant chemicals — decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In this study mice that had been genetically programmed to get prostate cancer were fed with a diet of whole walnuts. After 18 weeks, the consumption of the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of walnuts per day resulted in significantly smaller, slower-growing prostate tumors compared to mice consuming the same diet with an equal amount of fat, but not from walnuts. It was also found that not only was prostate cancer growth reduced by 30 to 40 percent, but that the mice had lower blood levels of a particular protein, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which has been strongly associated with prostate cancer.
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Chapter: Cancer :: 21 July 2010
