Sweeping changes in diet and exercise, as well as the use of stress management techniques, may slow the progression of early prostate cancer, researchers report in the Journal of Urology.

Lead investigator Dr. Dean Ornish told Reuters Health the results suggest "that the progression of prostate cancer may be beneficially affected by making comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle."

Ornish of the University of California , San Francisco , and colleagues note that men with prostate cancer are often advised to make changes in diet and lifestyle, but the results of these changes have not been well documented.

To investigate further, the researchers studied 93 prostate cancer patients who had chosen not to undergo conventional treatment but opted instead for a wait-and-see approach. At study entry, the men had laboratory findings indicating that they had early stage disease.

The men were randomly placed into a lifestyle change group or a usual activity group. The lifestyle patients were prescribed a vegan diet with fish oil and other supplements, moderate aerobic exercise, a daily 1-hour period of relaxation via techniques such yoga-based meditation and weekly participation in a support group.

At 1 year, none of the lifestyle patients but six of the usual activity patients underwent treatment because of disease progression. Further testing suggested that the lifestyle intervention inhibited the growth of cancer cells.