ABSTRACT
Objective
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).
Methods
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses system 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.
Results
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.
Conclusions
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.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 22, 2023
Accepted:
March 7,
2023
Received:
October 28,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Financial Disclosure: None of the named authors have any conflicts of interests, financial or otherwise, to declare.
Funding Support: This study received no funding.
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
