Cutting Carbs Appears to Slow Growth of Prostate Tumors

by Mary Brophy Marcus | USA TODAY | 05.28.2009

Cutting back on carbohydrates appears to slow the growth of prostate tumors, even if pounds aren't lost, according to an animal study in this week's online edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Other research has suggested a diet light in carbs could slow tumor growth, but the animals in those studies also lost weight, says lead author Stephen Freedland, a urologist with the Duke Prostate Center in Durham, N.C.. He says scientists know weight loss can restrict energy that feeds tumors, but they were not sure if pure carbohydrate restriction, even when pounds aren't lost, had an impact until now.

Although his study was in mice, Freedland says his findings as well as those from other studies are strong enough for him to recommend patients reduce intake of refined carbohydrates — such as sweetened drinks and white bread. His recommendation mirrors recently released Prostate Cancer Foundation guidelines he helped create. Whether carbs need to be scaled back to Atkins diet levels will be the focus of future research, he says.

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