Study Suggests Western Diet Tied to Prostate Cancer
(NY, Reuters Health, 4/28/03)

Dr. Leonard S. Marks and colleagues compared blood, tissue samples and health data from 50 men who had cancerous prostate glands removed. All of the subjects were of Japanese descent, but half lived in Japan while the others were American -born residents of Los Angeles. The Japanese Americans ate diets high in fats and they had high triglyceride levels; while the Japanese natives ate more soy and had lower body fat. While cancer samples from both groups looked similar, analysis showed that the cancer cells were different on a genetic level. Since all of the subjects had similar genetic backgrounds, this difference suggests that diet has an effect on the prostate tissue at the genetic level.