SAN DIEGO -- Eating a healthier diet and de-stressing could actually help in slowing or stopping the spread of deadly prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center said they have new proof it could work.

Charles Williams never dreamed he would be alive today. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery. But a year later, the cancer came back with a vengeance.

“The prostate-specific antigen was doubling about every four months,” said Williams.

Instead of treatment with cancer-killing drugs, Williams turned to specific foods to fight the cancer. He went on a plant-based diet, rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

"Not only has it significantly reduced the rate of growth in my prostate cancer but its beneficial in other things like lowering cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels and other things that are just basic good health," said Williams.

Williams was part of a six-month pilot study at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center that found that a plant-based diet and stress reduction could slow or even stop the spread of prostate cancer.

"We taught these men how to follow a plant-based diet based on whole grains and vegetables and what we saw was about a 100-fold reduction the rate of rise of their disease,” said UCSD Moores Cancer Center researcher Dr. Gordon Saxe.

The study found nine out of 10 men had a reduction in their PSA rates, an indicator of the cancer.

Study participants were taught to eat more plant-based foods such as whole grains, cruciferous and leafy-green vegetables, beans and legumes, and fruit.

"These compounds seem to stimulate the immune system, interfere with the expression of genes and have very profound effects in inhibiting the growth of cancers," said Saxe.

Williams and the other participants were also told to eat less meat, dairy products and refined carbohydrates, but it didn’t mean giving up tasty foods.

If participants had a sweet tooth, some were offered a naturally sweet parfait made with layers of chocolate and coconut, fresh strawberries and kiwis.

“Our diet now is more varied than it was and in many ways more fun to cook, to look for things to eat,” said Williams.

Stress management training also played a pivotal role in the study, which included meditation, yoga and tai chi exercises. Williams said he found tranquility in playing the American Indian flute.

Since changing his lifestyle habits two year ago, Williams said his future continues to look healthy and strong.

“In that two year period, I noticed that the PSA continues to go down,” added Williams.

At the end of the six-month study, four out of 10 men experienced an absolute reduction in their PSA levels.

Researchers said a larger study is needed to validate these findings and to determine the long-term effectiveness of diet and stress intervention.

If you would like to see the complete results of the prostate cancer plant-based diet study, visit http://ict.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/5/3/206

NOTE:The article "Potential Attenuation of Disease Progression in Recurrent Prostate Cancer Progression With Plant-based Diet and Stress Reduction" can be accessed at no-charge for a limited time on the SAGE Publications' Integrative Cancer Therapies web site.