Healthier Fat Choices Linked To Longer Life After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

THURSDAY, Sept. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For men with prostate cancer, eating healthier fats after diagnosis may be linked to a longer life.

The finding comes from a study of nearly 5,000 men whose prostate cancer had not spread.

"Our findings suggest that diet after diagnosis may be one modifiable component of survivorship care, broadening the focus beyond control of the original tumor," said co-senior author Lorelei Mucci, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. 

"Protecting cardiovascular and overall health is an essential part of prostate cancer care, particularly because some treatments can affect metabolic and cardiovascular health," she added in a news release.

Researchers tracked the health of the men for about 13 years and found higher consumption of saturated and animal fats was linked to a greater risk of premature death.

Those who ate the most saturated fat had a 24% higher rate. 

The difference was driven mainly by deaths from heart disease and, to a lesser extent, other cancers — not prostate cancer itself.

But choosing healthier fats led to better outcomes.

Replacing about 10% of daily calories from animal fat with plant-based fat was associated with a 16% lower death rate. And swapping about 5% of calories from saturated fat for monounsaturated fat was linked to a 20% lower rate.

"The central message is not simply to 'eat less fat.' Rather, the type and source of fat appear to matter," said co-senior author David Labbé, associate professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Researchers suggest choosing olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados more often than foods high in animal or saturated fat.

With 3.5 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States, the authors say supporting long-term health after diagnosis is increasingly important.

The study was published Sept. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on dietary fats.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, Sept. 3, 2026