New research suggests a vegan, low fat diet combined with yoga and exercise, can help fight prostate cancer.
Researchers at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and the University of California found that the double whammy of yoga and diet can switch off genes that fight disease such as cancer.
Men with low-risk prostate cancer who made improvements in fitness, stress management and nutrition altered the use of genes that have a role in tumour progression.
For the pilot project, Dr Dean Ornish devised a vegan diet for patients, along with yoga, and found a resulting 'striking' effect on the way genes work. Apparently Ornish was inspired by studies showing that prostate cancer is rarer in parts of the world where people eat a predominantly low-fat, plant-based diet.
Ed Young, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, told the Telegraph: 'People often think that their odds of getting cancer are written in their genes. But studies like this suggest that changing your lifestyle can change the activity of your genes, and that nature can be changed by nurture.'
Interestingly, Ornish also advocates walking 2,000 steps per day, and consuming 100 calories less per day.
All fairly obvious stuff, in some ways, but still habits that our sedentary, over-indulgent lifestyles often have little room for.
It would be interesting to learn what type of yoga patients were exposed to, and how big a role it played in the research. I'll report back if I hear more.
Lucia Cockcroft, editor
