By David Liu, PHD

Sunday Spet 9, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in the Prostate suggests that a high fat diet can be more potent promoter for prostate cancer progression than a high carbohydrate diet and a normal diet.

Shintaro Narita of Akita University Graduate School of Medicine in Akita, Japan and colleagues conducted the study and found tumor growth was significantly faster in mice with implanted prostate cancer cells that ate a high fat diet (HFD), compared to a control diet (CD) and a high carbohydrate diet (HCD). 

A few biomarkers indicative of prostate cancer progression including the serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and activated Akt were also higher in mice eating the high fat diet, compared to those on the control diet and high carbohydrate diet.

Also, serum from mice fed on the high fat diet were found to boost the proliferation of  two prostate cancer cells and CCR2 knockdown inhibited high fat diet induced proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

The researchers concluded "An HFD enhanced prostate cancer cell growth more strongly than an HCD or CD. MCP-1/CCR2 signaling may be involved in an HFD-induced prostate cancer progression."

It is not immediately known what high carbohydrate diet was used in the study.  It is known though added sugar should not be part of a healthy diet while whole grains, an abundant source of carbohydrates, should be included in such a diet.