Effect of foods on prostate cancer development

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

According to the results of meta-analyses, the risk of prostate cancer (PCa) development is lower in vegetarians and pescatarians, people regularly drinking green tea, eating soy, and people with high vitamin D levels. Elevated PCa risk is associated with frequent meat and trans fatty acid consumption. This review describes molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of antitumor effect of components of green tea, soy, sesame, cinnamon, ginger, curcuma, fish, citruses, and green onion on development of PCa. Their consumption not only can decrease the risk of PCa but also increase treatment efficacy. Potentiating effect of green tea polyphenols on the effect of doxorubicin and docetaxel, ginger components on docetaxel resistance are described. Apart from the effect on specific signaling pathways, androgen and estrogen receptors, components of foods have epigenetic effect through interaction with DNA demethylases, histone deacetylases and methyltransferases, and affect expression of specific microRNAs in PCa cells. Therefore, this study of food components can be used for targeted therapy planning and overcoming PCa drug resistance.

About the authors

Rustam Nailevich Mustafin

Bashkir State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: ruji79@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4091-382X
Russian Federation, 3 Lenina St., Ufa 450008

References

  1. Bergengren O., Pekala K.R., Matsoukas K. et al. 2022 Update on prostate cancer epidemiology and risk factors-A systematic review. Eur Urol 2023;84(2):191–206. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.04.021
  2. Wang Q., He W.Y., Zeng Y.Z. et al. Inhibiting autophagy overcomes docetaxel resistance in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Int Urol Nephrol 2018;50(4):675–86. doi: 10.1007/s11255-018-1801-5
  3. Liu C.M., Kao C.L., Tseng Y.T. et al. Ginger phytochemicals inhibit cell growth and modulate drug resistance factors in docetaxel resistant prostate cancer cell. Molecules 2017;22(9):1477. doi: 10.3390/molecules22091477
  4. Parra-Soto S., Ahumada D., Petermann-Rocha F. et al. Association of meat, vegetarian, pescatarian and fish-poultry diets with risk of 19 cancer sites and all cancer: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study and meta-analysis. BMC Med 2022;20(1):79. doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02257-9
  5. Applegate C.C., Rowles J.L., Ranard K.M. et al. Soy consumption and the risk of prostate cancer: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients 2018;10(1):40. doi: 10.3390/nu10010040
  6. Huang Y., Wang W., Jin J. Association between soy products and prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Investig Clin Urol 2024;65(6):540–50. doi: 10.4111/icu.20240186
  7. Liu S., Chen J., Wang Y., Xu Y. Effect of dietary antioxidants on the risk of prostate cancer. Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Nutr Hosp 2023;40(3):657–67. doi: 10.20960/nh.04558
  8. Capurso C., Vendemiale G. The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk and mortality of the prostate cancer: a narrative review. Front Nutr 2017;4:38. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2017.00038
  9. Vardi A., Bosviel R., Rabiau N. et al. Soy phytoestrogens modify DNA methylation of GSTP1, RASSF1A, EPH2 and BRCA1 promoter in prostate cancer cells. In Vivo 2010;24(4):393–400. PMID: 20668305
  10. Vernieri C., Fucà G., Ligorio F. et al. Fasting-mimicking diet is safe and reshapes metabolism and antitumor immunity in patients with cancer. Cancer Discov 2022;12(1):90–107. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0030
  11. Мустафин Р.Н., Галиева Э.А. Рекомендации по коррекции питания в лечении атеросклероза. Архивъ внутренней медицины 2025;15(1):5–16. doi: 10.20514/2226-6704-2025-15-1-5-16 Mustafin R.N., Galieva E.A. Recommendations for nutritional correction in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Arkhiv vnutrenney meditsiny = The Russian Archives of Internal Medicine 2025;15(1): 5–16. (In Russ.). doi: 10.20514/2226-6704-2025-15-1-5-16
  12. Consonni D., Straif K., Symons J.M. et al. Cancer risk among tetrafluoroethylene synthesis and polymerization workers. Am J Epidemiol 2013;178(3):350–8. doi: 10.1093/aje/kws588
  13. Chiavarini M., Bertarelli G., Minelli L., Fabiani R. Dietary intake of meat cooking-related mutagens (HCAs) and risk of colorectal adenoma and cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients 2017;9(5):514. doi: 10.3390/nu9050514
  14. Nakai Y., Nonomura N. Inflammation and prostate carcinogenesis. Int J Urol 2013;20(2):150–60. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2012.03101.x
  15. Sadikovic B., Rodenhiser D.I. Benzopyrene exposure disrupts DNA methylation and growth dynamics in breast cancer cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2006;216(3):458–68. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2006.06.012
  16. Gamboa-Loira B., López-Carrillo L., Mar-Sánchez Y. et al. Epidemiologic evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Chemosphere 2022;290:133237. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133237
  17. Nouri-Majd S., Salari-Moghaddam A., Aminianfar A. et al. Association between red and processed meat consumption and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr 2022;9:801722. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.801722
  18. Michels N., Specht I.O., Heitmann B.L. et al. Dietary trans-fatty acid intake in relation to cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev 2021;79(7):758–76. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa061
  19. McGee E.E., Kim C.H., Wang M. et al. Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids and breast cancer risk by tumor tissue expression of immuno-inflammatory markers and fatty acid synthase: a nested case-control study. Breast Cancer Res 2020;22(1):78. doi: 10.1186/s13058-020-01316-4
  20. Siddiqui I.A., Asim M., Hafeez B.B. et al. Green tea polyphenol EGCG blunts androgen receptor function in prostate cancer. FASEB J 2011;25(4):1198–207. doi: 10.1096/fj.10-167924
  21. Zhou X., Zeng L., Chen Y. et al. Metabolism of gallic acid and its distributions in tea (Camellia sinensis) plants at the tissue and subcellular levels. Int J Mol Sci 2020;21(16):5684. doi: 10.3390/ijms21165684
  22. Chen H.M., Wu Y.C., Chia Y.C. et al. Gallic acid, a major component of Toona sinensis leaf extracts, contains a ROS-mediated anti-cancer activity in human prostate cancer cells. Cancer Lett 2009;286:161–71. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2009.05.040
  23. Messina M. Impact of soy foods on the development of breast cancer and the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Forsch Komplementmed 2016;23(2):75–80. doi: 10.1159/000444735
  24. Lee Y.J., Lee C., Choi D. et al. Effect of soy isoflavone on prostate cancer cell apoptosis through inhibition of STAT3, ERK, and AKT. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024;46(11):12512–26. doi: 10.3390/cimb46110743
  25. Vaselkiv J.B., Shui I.M., Grob S.T. et al. Intratumoral vitamin D signaling and lethal prostate cancer. Carcinogenesis 2024;45(10):735–44. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgae055
  26. Wu X., Hu W., Lu L. et al. Repurposing vitamin D for treatment of human malignancies via targeting tumor microenvironment. Acta Pharm Sinica B 2019;9:203–19. doi: 10.1016/j.apsb.2018.09.002
  27. Sui Y., Li S., Zhao Y. et al. Identification of a natural compound, sesamin, as a novel TRPM8 antagonist with inhibitory effects on prostate adenocarcinoma. Fitoterapia 2020;145:104631. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2020.104631
  28. Gopalakrishnan S., Ismail A. Aromatic monophenols from cinnamon bark act as proteasome inhibitors by upregulating ER stress, suppressing FoxM1 expression, and inducing apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Phytother Res 2021;35(10):5781–94. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7236
  29. Cai P.J., Chen S.Y., Chen Y.F., Yen G.C. 6-Shogaol inhibits the cell motility of prostate cancer cells by suppressing the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras/Raf/MAPK pathways with comparable effects to paclitaxel treatment. Food Funct. 2025;16(11):4315–24. doi: 10.1039/d5fo00798d
  30. Chan M.L., Liang J.W., Hsu L.C. et al. Zerumbone, a ginger sesquiterpene, induces apoptosis and autophagy in human hormone-refractory prostate cancers through tubulin binding and crosstalk between endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial insult. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2015;388(11):1223–36. doi: 10.1007/s00210-015-1152-z
  31. Abd Wahab N.A., Lajis N.H., Abas F. et al. Mechanism of anti-cancer activity of curcumin on androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer. Nutrients 2020;12(3):679. doi: 10.3390/nu12030679
  32. Deveci Ozkan A., Kaleli S., Onen H.I. et al. Anti-inflammatory effects of nobiletin on TLR4/TRIF/IRF3 and TLR9/IRF7 signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2020;42(2):93–100. doi: 10.1080/08923973.2020.1725040
  33. Wang P., Phan T., Gordon D. et al. Arctigenin in combination with quercetin synergistically enhances the antiproliferative effect in prostate cancer cells. Mol Nutr Food Res 2015;59(2):250–61. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201400558
  34. Kong D., Heath E., Chen W. et al. Loss of let-7 up-regulates EZH2 in prostate cancer consistent with the acquisition of cancer stem cell signatures that are attenuated by BR-DIM. PLoS One 2012;7(3):e33729. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033729
  35. Le H.T., Schaldach C.M., Firestone G.L., Bjeldanes L.F. Plant-derived 3,3’-diindolylmethane is a strong androgen antagonist in human prostate cancer cells. J Biol Chem 2003;278(23):21136–45. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M300588200
  36. Rauf A., Imran M., Butt M.S. et al. Resveratrol as an anti-cancer agent: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2018;58(9):1428–47. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1263597
  37. Ji Q., Liu X., Han Z. et al. Resveratrol suppresses epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer through TGFβ1/Smads signaling pathway mediated Snail/E-cadherin expression. BMC Cancer 2015;15:97.
  38. Wang Z., Zhang L., Ni Z. et al. Resveratrol induces AMPK-dependent MDR1 inhibition in colorectal cancer HCT116/L-OHP cells by preventing activation of NF-κB signaling and suppressing cAMP-responsive element transcriptional activity. Tumour Biol 2015;36(12):9499–510.
  39. Bosutti A., Zanconati F., Grassi G. et al. Epigenetic and miRNAs dysregulation in prostate cancer: the role of nutraceuticals. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2016;16(11):1385–402. doi: 10.2174/1871520616666160425105257
  40. Howitz K.T., Bitterman K.J., Cohen H.Y. et al. Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature 2003;425(6954):191–6. doi: 10.1038/nature01960
  41. Мустафин Р.Н. Взаимосвязь гена ТР53 с ретроэлементами в канцерогенезе. Онкоурология 2022;18(1):136–42. doi: 10.17650/1726-9776-2022-18-1-136-142 Mustain R.N. Relationship of TP53 gene with retroelements in urogenital organs carcinogenesis. Onkourologiya = Cancer Urology 2022;18(1):136–42. (In Russ.). doi: 10.17650/1726-9776-2022-18-1-136-142
  42. Мустафин Р.Н. Перспективы эпигенетической иммунотерапии рака почки. Онкоурология 2023;19(4):158–66. doi: 10.17650/1726-9776-2023-19-4-158-166 Mustafin R.N. Future of epigenetic immunotherapy in kidney cancer. Onkourologiya = Cancer Urology 2023;19(4):158–66. (In Russ.). doi: 10.17650/1726-9776-2023-19-4-158-166
  43. Wang L., Ho J., Glackin C., Martins-Green M. Specific pomegranate juice components as potential inhibitors of prostate cancer metastasis. Transl Oncol 2012;5(5):344–55. doi: 10.1593/tlo.12190
  44. Yu C., Gong A.Y., Chen D. et al. Phenethyl isothiocyanate inhibits androgen receptor-regulated transcriptional activity in prostate cancer cells through suppressing PCAF. Mol Nutr Food Res 2013;57(10):1825–33. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201200810
  45. Yang C.H., Yue J., Sims M., Pfeffer L.M. The curcumin analog EF24 targets NF-κB and miRNA-21, and has potent anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. PLoS One 2013;8(8):e71130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071130
  46. Zhou S., Zhang S., Shen H. et al. Curcumin inhibits cancer progression through regulating expression of microRNAs. Tumour Biol 2017;39(2):1010428317691680. doi: 10.1177/1010428317691680
  47. Sakurai M.A., Ozaki Y., Okuzaki D. et al. Gefitinib and luteolin cause growth arrest of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells via inhibition of cyclin G-associated kinase and induction of miR-630. PLoS One 2014;9(6):e100124. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100124
  48. Hirata H., Hinoda Y., Shahryari V. et al. Genistein downregulates onco-miR-1260b and upregulates sFRP1 and Smad4 via demethylation and histone modification in prostate cancer cells. Br J Cancer 2014;110(6):1645–54. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.48
  49. Chiyomaru T., Yamamura S., Zaman M.S. et al. Genistein suppresses prostate cancer growth through inhibition of oncogenic microRNA-151. PLoS One 2012;7(8):e43812. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043812
  50. Chen Y., Zaman M.S., Deng G. et al. MicroRNAs 221/222 and genistein-mediated regulation of ARHI tumor suppressor gene in prostate cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2011;4(1):76–86. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-10-0167
  51. Dhar S., Hicks C., Levenson A.S. Resveratrol and prostate cancer: promising role for microRNAs. Mol Nutr Food Res 2011;55(8):1219–29. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201100141
  52. Fu J., Shrivastava A., Shrivastava S.K. et al. Triacetyl resveratrol upregulates miRNA-200 and suppresses the Shh pathway in pancreatic cancer: a potential therapeutic agent. Int J Oncol 2019;54(4):1306–16. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4700
  53. Yang K., Gao Z.Y., Li T.Q. et al. Anti-tumor activity and the mechanism of a green tea (Camellia sinensis) polysaccharide on prostate cancer. Int J Biol Macromol 2019;122:95–103. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.10.101
  54. Zhu M., Wu J., Ma X. et al. Butyl benzyl phthalate promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation through miR-34a downregulation. Toxicol In Vitro 2019;54:82–8. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2018.09.007
  55. Stott-Miller M., Neuhouser M.L., Stanford J.L. Consumption of deep-fried foods and risk of prostate cancer. Prostate 2013;73(9):960–9. doi: 10.1002/pros.22643
  56. Bruk M.A., Spirin A.V., Khatipov S.A., Kozlova N.V. Radiation-enhanced thermal depolymerization of polytertrafluoroethylene. High Energy Chemistry 2004;38(4):239–45.
  57. Troeschel A.N., Teras L.R., Hodge J.M. et al. A case-cohort study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations and incident prostate cancer in the cancer prevention Study-II LifeLink cohort study. Environ Res 2024;259:119560. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119560
  58. Wan L., Thomas-Ahner J.M., Pearl D.K. et al. Orchestration of miRNA patterns by testosterone and dietary tomato carotenoids during early prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice. J Nutr 2023;153(7):1877–88. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.05.015

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) 2026 ABV-Press

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77-36986 от  21.07.2009.