To perform a systematic review of the literature on plant-based and plant-forward diets and the prevention/treatment of the following common men's health conditions: prostate cancer (PCa), erectile dysfunction (ED), and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses system (PRISMA) criteria were utilized to search PubMed and Medline databases for the following search terms: "Diet [Mesh]" OR "Diet Therapy [Mesh]" AND "Prostatic Hyperplasia [Mesh]" OR "Prostatic Neoplasm [Mesh]" OR "Erectile Dysfunction [Mesh]." Articles in English published from 1989 to 2022 using human participants were analyzed, data summarized, and assessed for bias.
Studies reporting on plant-based or vegetable-forward diets (Mediterranean) as an intervention were included. Cohort and cross-sectional studies using food frequency questionnaires or diet classification indices to quantify plant-based food intake patterns were included in the study. Ultimately, 12 PCa articles, 4 BPH articles, 6 ED articles, and 2 articles related to both BPH and ED were reviewed. Overall, the literature suggests plant-forward diets confer a protective effect on the men's health conditions reviewed.
Evaluation of the literature on the impact of plant-forward diets on urologic conditions includes a heterogenous range of dietary patterns and study designs. The greatest amount of research has evaluated the application of plant-forward diets for PCa. While there is currently a lack of high-quality evidence for the use of plant-forward diets as prevention and/or treatment for PCa, ED, or BPH, reported outcomes suggest a consistent small beneficial impact alongside well-established benefits for common chronic conditions.
Urology. 2023 Mar 22 [Epub ahead of print]
Nathan Feiertag, Marc-Mina Tawfik, Justin Loloi, Rutul D Patel, Benjamin Green, Michael Zhu, Daniel Klyde, Alexander C Small, Kara L Watts
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY., Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY., Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Electronic address: .
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36963667