PCa and Coronary Artery Disease

Beau2 · February 2012

"In a large analysis of men participating in a prostate drug trial, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute found a significant correlation between coronary artery disease and prostate cancer, suggesting the two conditions may have shared causes."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132717.htm

In my case plugged arteries on the heart were found after the PCa ... I had a calcium scan done last year during "Heart Month". If you have had PCa you might want to consider having the heart scan. When I did it last February a local hospital had a "special" and it was only $100. Note - Some docs still consider the calcium scan a not so good diagnostic tool (kind of like PSA for PCa). Its one of those cases of now that I know I have blockage what do I do .... how aggressive do I want to be? Glad I had gone through the PCa before I started down the plugged artery path.

Swingshiftworker · February 2012

Statistical Correlation?
While there may be a statistical correlation between PCa and heart disease, it would be hard (if not impossible) to "prove" that they both share the same "causes."

My guess is that age and diet are probably the main associated factors related to both. As Kongo, likes to point out, people with a low red meat/high veggie in Asia do not experience the same incidence of PCa and (for the same reason) IMHO probably do not suffer the same degree of heart disease that we do here.

So, the best thing any of us can do is just change our diets to do what is generally recommended for good heart health (regardless of whatever other illnesses we have) -- namely, reduce red meat/fat/salt/processed sugar/white flour/alcohol intake and increase fruit/veggie/fiber/whole grain/green tea intake, exercise more, take baby aspirins, fish oil and vitamin d supplements and, if you smoke, stop smoking.

While it's already too late for most of us here for this to have any effect on our PCa status, it's probably not too late for these measures to improve our heart health and is well worth doing if you're not doing it already.

If you're interested, here's a link to a detailed report on PCa & Diet prepared by the staff at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center that applies equally to an overall healthy and heart healthy specific diet:

http://cancer.ucsf.edu/_docs/crc/nutrition_prostate.pdf

Beau2 · February 2012

Swingshiftworker said:
Statistical Correlation?
While there may be a statistical correlation between PCa and heart disease, it would be hard (if not impossible) to "prove" that they both share the same "causes."

My guess is that age and diet are probably the main associated factors related to both. As Kongo, likes to point out, people with a low red meat/high veggie in Asia do not experience the same incidence of PCa and (for the same reason) IMHO probably do not suffer the same degree of heart disease that we do here.

So, the best thing any of us can do is just change our diets to do what is generally recommended for good heart health (regardless of whatever other illnesses we have) -- namely, reduce red meat/fat/salt/processed sugar/white flour/alcohol intake and increase fruit/veggie/fiber/whole grain/green tea intake, exercise more, take baby aspirins, fish oil and vitamin d supplements and, if you smoke, stop smoking.

While it's already too late for most of us here for this to have any effect on our PCa status, it's probably not too late for these measures to improve our heart health and is well worth doing if you're not doing it already.

If you're interested, here's a link to a detailed report on PCa & Diet prepared by the staff at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center that applies equally to an overall healthy and heart healthy specific diet:

http://cancer.ucsf.edu/_docs/crc/nutrition_prostate.pdf

Thanks
Hey Swing,

Thanks for the link!

I've been following Mike Milken's diet (The Taste for Living Cookbook) as well as Dr. Mark A. Moyad's recommendations (Promoting Wellness for Prostate Patients) for about three years now. Both of these guys also stress heart healthy eating. I would recommend either of the books to anyone interested in the subject.

Interesting that you bring up the two conditions sharing of a similar cause. Dr. Samadi (don't know where you stand on advice from the good doctor LOL) kind of addresses this in his discussion of genetics in the following link that you may be interested in.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1448576690001/study-heart-disease-may-be-risk-factor-for-prostate-cancer/

Kongo · February 2012

Western Nation Diseases
Beau,

I agree that there may indeed have a shared cause, and as Swing noted I am a strong proponent that that relationship is caused by the diet the most of us in Western nations routinely eat which is high in dairy and red meat. While I have significantly changed my diet after PCa I often wonder if previous diets have already taken their toll. One of the things I intend to investigate in conjunction with my annual physical this year is a more thorough scan of the heart plumbing.

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

K

hopeful and optimistic · February 2012

Kongo said:
Western Nation Diseases
Beau,

I agree that there may indeed have a shared cause, and as Swing noted I am a strong proponent that that relationship is caused by the diet the most of us in Western nations routinely eat which is high in dairy and red meat. While I have significantly changed my diet after PCa I often wonder if previous diets have already taken their toll. One of the things I intend to investigate in conjunction with my annual physical this year is a more thorough scan of the heart plumbing.

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

K

not heart, but my GI doc tells me
that there is correlation between PC and colon cancer, so have your colonoscopy, which is currative. My GI doc thinks that a seven years duration works, if everything was clean in the last one.

Beau2 · February 2012

Kongo said:
Western Nation Diseases
Beau,

I agree that there may indeed have a shared cause, and as Swing noted I am a strong proponent that that relationship is caused by the diet the most of us in Western nations routinely eat which is high in dairy and red meat. While I have significantly changed my diet after PCa I often wonder if previous diets have already taken their toll. One of the things I intend to investigate in conjunction with my annual physical this year is a more thorough scan of the heart plumbing.

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

K

Epigenetics
Hey Kongo,

Yeah, there is a booming field called epigentics which is showing how stress and nutrition can cause changes in your genes. These changes in your genes can cause illnesses. The January issue of National Geographic has an article on Identical Twins. A secion of the article goes over epigenetic studies done on identical twins, focusing on illness (and gene changes) in one twin and not the other. Kind of falls in line with your thinking (ie. If you ate the wrong things for 50 years a chemical mechanism could change your gene and you get PCa and/or coronary heart disease .... or maybe a craving for dark chocolate and red wine! Who knows).

Anyhow, I think looking at your heart plumbing is wise. It was a wake up call for me. Hopefully your scans will come back a lot cleaner than mine.

Now where did I put that Lipitor?

hopeful and optimistic · February 2012

Beau2 said:
Epigenetics
Hey Kongo,

Yeah, there is a booming field called epigentics which is showing how stress and nutrition can cause changes in your genes. These changes in your genes can cause illnesses. The January issue of National Geographic has an article on Identical Twins. A secion of the article goes over epigenetic studies done on identical twins, focusing on illness (and gene changes) in one twin and not the other. Kind of falls in line with your thinking (ie. If you ate the wrong things for 50 years a chemical mechanism could change your gene and you get PCa and/or coronary heart disease .... or maybe a craving for dark chocolate and red wine! Who knows).

Anyhow, I think looking at your heart plumbing is wise. It was a wake up call for me. Hopefully your scans will come back a lot cleaner than mine.

Now where did I put that Lipitor?

Pres. Clinton reads the same books that we read
Life style changes reduce the incidence of major disease, and benefit general well being

There had been a major study that viewed the life style of Chinese people in rural areas to quantify why the incidence of , of "western" diseases to include cancers, heart, diabetics, etc. were virtually non existent in these areas. Additionally cholesterol and average weight were significantly lower . These people mainly ate a plant based diet, and exercised more frequently than we in the western nations.

Also discussed in these books are other studies that show why meat and dairy are emphasized in this country, and the reasons why these type foods may be harmful.

Additionally these books reference studies that show reversal of heart disease by making these life style changes.

In my opinion, the book that is most worth reading is " The China Study" by Campbell, a researcher, and if time permits "The Spectrum" by Dean Ornish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ied_AD4iE

Former US President Bill Clinton recently confirmed that he is indeed eating a mainly vegan diet. In the interview, the former president explains the reason behind his decision to go vegan.

"I'm trying to be one of those experimenters," said Clinton. "Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, has seen their bodies start to heal themselves — break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 percent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them."

Clinton decided to adopt the diet in the early part of May 2010. While he does occasionally eat fish, the former president otherwise follows a strict vegan diet.
What made him go vegan? Clinton has read many books on the topic, including books by T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish. Although losing weight was a benefit of the dietary change, the choice to go vegan was about more than just losing weight.
With time, Clinton could become the most outspoken proponent of a complete vegan diet."

rch · February 2012

hopeful and optimistic said:
Pres. Clinton reads the same books that we read
Life style changes reduce the incidence of major disease, and benefit general well being

There had been a major study that viewed the life style of Chinese people in rural areas to quantify why the incidence of , of "western" diseases to include cancers, heart, diabetics, etc. were virtually non existent in these areas. Additionally cholesterol and average weight were significantly lower . These people mainly ate a plant based diet, and exercised more frequently than we in the western nations.

Also discussed in these books are other studies that show why meat and dairy are emphasized in this country, and the reasons why these type foods may be harmful.

Additionally these books reference studies that show reversal of heart disease by making these life style changes.

In my opinion, the book that is most worth reading is " The China Study" by Campbell, a researcher, and if time permits "The Spectrum" by Dean Ornish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ied_AD4iE

Former US President Bill Clinton recently confirmed that he is indeed eating a mainly vegan diet. In the interview, the former president explains the reason behind his decision to go vegan.

"I'm trying to be one of those experimenters," said Clinton. "Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, has seen their bodies start to heal themselves — break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 percent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them."

Clinton decided to adopt the diet in the early part of May 2010. While he does occasionally eat fish, the former president otherwise follows a strict vegan diet.
What made him go vegan? Clinton has read many books on the topic, including books by T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish. Although losing weight was a benefit of the dietary change, the choice to go vegan was about more than just losing weight.
With time, Clinton could become the most outspoken proponent of a complete vegan diet."

Coronary Artery dz and Prostate Cancer
CAD and ED are causally related , but I believe CAD and Prostate cancer are perhaps related through diet and life style as common denominator.

As to CAD screening, stress tests or imaging is not done routinely as part of a Physical, even if one has a F.Hx , HTN, DM or Hyperlipidemia. One must have symptoms suggestive of CAD to be tested. Also, the insurance companies won't reimburse the cost of such testing. In case of doubt about your cardiac condition, it's better to present to the Internist with some symptoms.

Beau2 · September 2012

Beau2 said:
Epigenetics
Hey Kongo,

Yeah, there is a booming field called epigentics which is showing how stress and nutrition can cause changes in your genes. These changes in your genes can cause illnesses. The January issue of National Geographic has an article on Identical Twins. A secion of the article goes over epigenetic studies done on identical twins, focusing on illness (and gene changes) in one twin and not the other. Kind of falls in line with your thinking (ie. If you ate the wrong things for 50 years a chemical mechanism could change your gene and you get PCa and/or coronary heart disease .... or maybe a craving for dark chocolate and red wine! Who knows).

Anyhow, I think looking at your heart plumbing is wise. It was a wake up call for me. Hopefully your scans will come back a lot cleaner than mine.

Now where did I put that Lipitor?

More on epigenetics
Some more information on epigenetics, diet and PCa.

According to this study more than 40 plant based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827152050.htm

VascodaGama · September 2012

Beau2 said:
More on epigenetics
Some more information on epigenetics, diet and PCa.

According to this study more than 40 plant based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827152050.htm

Magic Bullets
Very interesting article. I like the part where the professor says;

"We're always looking for a magic bullet," he says. "Well, there are lots of magic bullets out there in what we eat and associated with our lifestyle. We just need to take advantage of those. And they can work together."

Instead of inhibitors we may see treatments turn into nutrients feeding.
What a wonderful thing that would be. Cheap, easy and possible application by everyone.

Best
VG

laserlight · September 2012

VascodaGama said:
Magic Bullets
Very interesting article. I like the part where the professor says;

"We're always looking for a magic bullet," he says. "Well, there are lots of magic bullets out there in what we eat and associated with our lifestyle. We just need to take advantage of those. And they can work together."

Instead of inhibitors we may see treatments turn into nutrients feeding.
What a wonderful thing that would be. Cheap, easy and possible application by everyone.

Best
VG

Diet
I agree, I have modified my diet and am feeling real good. I am surprised at how much better I feel after cutting out red meat, processed meats, refined sugar, processed foods. The list goes on. The western diet is a killer. I can only strongly encourage everybody to investigate this diet, for me it has been working.

mrspjd · September 2012

Beau2 said:
More on epigenetics
Some more information on epigenetics, diet and PCa.

According to this study more than 40 plant based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827152050.htm

Food, cancer and angiogenesis
In addition to epigenetics, there’s angiogenesis, which just means development of new blood vessels. For anyone interested in the relationship between food, cancer and health, there’s an extremely fascinating and thought provoking video presentation (url link below) on the possible connections between food, cancer, cell death, angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis (all defined in the video).

The presentation was made by Dr. Li at the Feb 2010 TED conference--a conference of the best and brightest cutting edge leaders in their fields of expertise, including medical and scientific professionals. IMHO, Dr Li’s discussion is, literally & figuratively, "food for thought."

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/william_li.html

PCa and Coronary Artery Disease

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