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Spaccarotella KJ, Kris-Etherton PM, Stone WL, et al. The effect of walnut intake on factors related to prostate and vascular health in older men. Nutr J. 2008 May 2;7:13. PMID: 18454862

Investigators at Penn State, Rutgers and East Tennessee State report on a small 8-week study examining the effects of walnuts on serum tocopherols and prostate specific antigen in men at risk for prostate cancer.

From the introduction:

"Walnuts may provide an inexpensive and practical method for supplementing intake of both tocopherols and other nutrients that may protect against prostate cancer. For example, 75 g of walnuts contain 0.52 mg α-T [alpha-tocopherol] and 15.6 mg γ-T [gamma-tocopherol]. Walnuts also contain ellagic acid (590 μg/g), which has been shown to effectively induce apoptosis and inhibit angiogenesis. In addition, walnuts are a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids that favorably affect CVD risk, and several recent feeding studies with walnuts have reported a total and LDL cholesterol lowering effect following consumption of about 70–80 g/d of walnuts."

In their small sample (21 participants), the researchers found that 8 weeks of walnut supplementation improved biomarkers of prostate and vascular status, including a "significant decrease in the α-T: γ-T ratio with an increase in serum γ-T and a trend towards an increase in the ratio of free PSA:total PSA."

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

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Ali MM, Vaidya V. Vitamin D and cancer. J Cancer Res Ther. 2007 Oct-Dec;3(4):225-30. Review. PMID: 18270398

A far-ranging essay on the possible role of Vitamin D, acquired primarily through exposure to the sun via the skin, to inhibit tumor development and growth and reduce mortality for certain cancers. From the results and discussion:

"Although sunlight and vitamin D have been positively associated with non-melanoma skin cancer, ecological studies suggest that sunlight may protect against female breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancer. The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer annually." 

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