Maybe you are newly diagnosed and want to know what part if any diet may play in your recovery. What do other people do? I have to stress that there are no absolutes here. As far as I know, no nutritional remedy for prostate cancer has ever been shown to be effective using the most stringest standards for scientific testing — random sample, double blind study, etc. But there is plenty of information that is provocative.
I am giving you a link to an article which discusses diet and PC. I chose it because it is very thorough, moderate, and is from the University of California, San Francisco (USCF), one of the highest-ranked cancer hospitals in the country (usnews.com). I don’t want to give you information from some fly-by-night institution. I am posting here a summary of the hospital’s recommendations.
The one item I think is worthwhile that I saw listed in the body of the article but I do not see mentioned here is the pomegranate. It is a powerful antioxidant and in one study, it extended PSA doubling time from 15 months to 54 months. So read more about it.
http://urology.ucsf.edu/patientGuides/pdf/uroOnc/Nutrition_Prostate.pdf
Summary – Healthy Diet for Prostate Cancer
• Eat 8-10 colorful fruit and vegetable servings daily
* 2-3 pieces of fruit
* 1 cup or more of vegetables with lunch and dinner
* 12 fl oz tomato-based juice
* Consume 30-35 grams of fiber daily
You will likely meet your fiber goal if you eat 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables plus 1 serving beans/legumes or at least 2 servings of whole grains.
* Avoid processed and refined grains/flours/sugars.
* Keep WHITE off your plate – bread, pasta, rice, cereal, cream sauces, cakes, and more.
* Limit meats and dairy
* Include healthy fats daily:
Examples include cold-water fish (i.e. salmon, trout, herring, sardines), flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, avocados, and olive oil.
[Supplements:]* Selenium (200 mcg)
2 Brazil nuts or supplement
* Lycopene (30 mg)
¾ C tomato sauce, 12 fl oz tomato juice, 4 ½ tbsp tomato paste
• Vitamin E (50-200 IU)
Natural vitamin E supplement that contains gamma-tocopherol
• Adequate vitamin D (400-2000 IU depending on age) to maintain serum 25-OH over 35 ng/mL.
* Drink 1-4 cups green tea daily
* Drink plenty of fluids, water or non-caffeinated beverages, daily to help meet fluid needs.
*• Engage in daily physical activity to help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
You mention flax seed as a beneficial source of healthy fatty acids. i think that it is worthwhile mentioning that there is an unresolved question regarding flax seed oil which, in some studies appears to accelerate the growth of prostate cancer cells.