How a Plant Based Diet Helped Decrease My Dad’s PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) Level

Last year, my dad’s PSA number was on the rise. PSA, in this context, means prostate-specific antigen. Doctors use PSA numbers primarily to screen for prostate cancer. High levels of PSA might indicate prostate cancer, but not always.

My dad’s PSA climbed incrementally for a year until it reached 7 back in July of 2021 (PSA levels of 4 or below are considered normal).

When it reached 7, my dad’s urologist gave him two choices:

1. Schedule a biopsy.
2. Wait three months to see if his PSA went down, and schedule a biopsy at that point if it did not go down.

My dad chose to wait three months. 

At that point, I went to Dr. Michael Greger’s website and watched every video I could find on PSA and prostate cancer. Not surprisingly, a whole food plant based dietary pattern seems excellent for prostate health, especially when incorporating more of certain plant foods into the diet, like tomatoes and green tea, to name a couple.  

My mom and I talked with my dad and asked if he wanted to tighten up his way of eating. He was already eating about 90% vegan, but not necessarily whole food plant based. He was all for it and knew he had three months to get some positive results.

I looked at the research and made a plan based on what would work for him to support lowering his PSA levels.

For example, I knew green tea supported prostate health, but my dad is not a tea drinker, so I asked him if he would be willing to add some green tea powder to his morning smoothies. He said no problem.

I asked if he could eat some tomatoes every day. He didn’t love the idea, so instead, he committed to drinking organic low-sodium tomato juice every day. After tailoring the plan to his likes and needs, I presented him with the PPP, the Patrick Prostate Plan! 

With mom’s and my help, dad followed the plan. His following appointment in October 2021 showed his PSA had decreased to 6.7.

With this decrease, his doctor decided to wait on any more tests, scans, or biopsies and wanted to see him again in six months. My dad was committed to the snazzy Patrick Prostate Plan, especially now that his PSA number was improving. 

My dad had his six-month follow-up in April 2022, and his PSA has decreased to 6.2!

My mom and I gave him a high five, and then his doctor asked what he was doing to lower his number. We explained the plan, and I gave him the name of Dr. Greger’s website.

This was when the doctor started to lecture us about the dangers of soy.

We listened as I did my best not to roll my eyeballs to the back of my actual brain 🙄 or plant my palm directly onto my face. Once he was done with his lecture, I politely encouraged him to spend some time on Dr. Greger’s website, and then I asked what he recommended for my dad, seeing as how his PSA continues to get lower. He told us he wouldn’t need to see him again for another year, given the steady decrease. We asked that he be rechecked in six months to stay on top of it. 

Now, I do not believe that eating plants is a miracle cure for everything. I am all for western medicine, and I am fully vaccinated. I would like to think I have a balanced perspective, and I’m always open to being wrong. I also respect people who think and act differently than me.  

Will my dad’s PSA levels continue to decrease or stay the same if he continues the plan? I have no idea. 

Based on the past nine months, it seems likely, but the body is complicated, and shit can happen. 

Will this work for everyone? Who knows. It might. It might not. 

But here’s the rub. 

If someone is willing to change what they eat and incorporate more protective foods into their diet, I don’t see a reason not to try it.  

And if their condition improves, then it is cause for some damn celebration 🎉, not a lecture on a fucking bean 🌱. 

Especially when that bean has been a staple for one of the longest living and healthiest populations on the planet for centuries. 

I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, and I am not prescribing anything. If you’re curious about what my dad has been doing to help lower his PSA levels, the plan I made for him is below. This was the actual plan I wrote for my parents, so you will see it’s personalized.  Note that he no longer drinks alcohol, so there was no need to include cutting back or quitting in the plan.

How this plant based plan helped reduce my dad’s PSA levels by the numbers 

• PSA 7 – July 2021
• PSA 6.7 – October 2021
• PSA 6.2 – April 2022

Cheers to the power of plants, my friend.

Have you or someone you know gone through a similar situation with elevated PSA levels? What was your experience? Did a plant based diet help? Tell us about it in the comments below. 

Molly

Resources:

• Treating Prostate Cancer with Green Tea
• Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer with Diet: Part 1
• Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer with Diet: Part 2
• Tomato Sauce vs. Prostate Cancer
• The Role of Soy Foods in Prostate Cancer Prevention & Treatment
• Best Supplements for Prostate Cancer
• Flaxseeds vs. Prostate Cancer