Low-Fat Raw Diet & Prostate Cancer

Both prostate cancer and the raw food diet have been controversial in the last few years. Prostate cancer screening has come into question as to whether or not the testing, diagnosis, and treatment have gone too far. The raw food diet often has many practitioners who have found life-changing results arguing with scientists who find fault with it. There are studies that show a raw food diet that is low in fat can help with prostate cancer, perhaps to the point that treatment can be less invasive and that quality of life with the disease can be improved.

What is the Raw Food Diet?

• The raw food diet is an eating plan that contains unprocessed, uncooked, and unheated foods that have never gone above 116 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. The theory of the diet is that cooking foods takes many of the nutrients and enzymes out. These enzymes are particularly important, because they allow for the food to digest itself naturally, which makes digestion easier for the body and it allows it to use that energy on other bodily functions. Raw food users claim to have lost weight, cured diseases, improve their skin, and to increase their general levels of happiness. The diet consists of a mix of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and in some cases even raw meat. Typically, the raw food diet has a larger than usual fat content (as most protein comes from high-fat nuts), but an increase in fruits and vegetables to maintain adequate calories can lead to a low-fat raw food diet.

Studies on Raw and Low-Fat

• Prostate cancer studies have found that a diet high in fat can lead to an increased risk of prostate cancer. Certain fat receptors, peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are expressed at very high levels in prostate tumors. When high amounts of fat are taken in, this can activate the cancer cells to begin growing. Two types of omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic acid, which can be found in meats and whole dairy, have been shown to increase the risk of prostate cancer. Supporting these claims are studies that show that a lowering of fat can help to slow cancer growth and increase survival rate in men with prostate cancer. PSA levels went down and survival time went up in a group of mice that were fed a diet low in polyunsaturated fat. Raw food dieters have been found to have a lower body mass index and a lower level of IGF-1 than those who eat cooked food. Since IGF-1 is a growth factor that is often linked to an increased risk of prostate and breast cancer, a low level means that there is less risk.

What Do I Eat?

• The diet will mostly consist of fruit and vegetables, following close to the 80/10/10 raw food diet promoted by Dr. Douglas Graham (80% carbohydrates/10% protein/10% fat). You can eat apples, bananas, peaches, tomatoes, spinach, celery, carrots, broccoli, and any other fruits and vegetables you enjoy. Most of your calories in the diet will come from fruits, as there are very few calories in many vegetables. While nuts and seeds can also be a part of the diet, you should restrict them to below 15 to 20% of your calorie intake, to fully embrace the low-fat raw lifestyle. There are many raw food communities like WeLikeitRaw online, that allow you to meet with other raw food eaters and to read of their success stories. It is suggested that you utilize as many resources as possible, like books and people to learn from the wisdom of those who have been doing a raw food diet for a very long time. While a raw food diet is a difficult eating plan, it is worth testing out for at least 30 days to see if you have any major health improvements as a result.