Mediterranean Style Dietary Pattern with High Intensity Interval Training in Men with Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Pilot Randomised Control Trial
Question
Does a Mediterranean-style diet with added HIIT improve cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, fatigue, and quality of life compared with usual care in men with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy?
Summary
Twenty-three men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy were randomized to usual care or 20 weeks of Mediterranean diet support, with supervised cycling HIIT added during weeks 12-20. The combined diet plus HIIT intervention improved VO2peak and body mass versus usual care, preserved lean mass after earlier diet-related weight loss, had high interval-intensity adherence, and was reported as safe and feasible.
Methodology
- Men with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy for at least 3 months.
- 23 participants.
- Cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: 4 minutes.
- Recovery: 3 minutes active recovery.
- Intensity: 85-95% HRpeak for intervals; 50-70% HRpeak recovery.
- About 38 minutes plus unreported cool-down.
- 3 sessions/week during weeks 12-20.
- 20 weeks total; 8 weeks HIIT.
- Two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial
- VO2peak, Body composition, Quality of life, and Fatigue were tracked.
Outcomes
VO2peak
Intervention improved cardiorespiratory fitness versus usual care at 20 weeks.
+4.9 mL/kg/min, p<0.001.
Body mass
Intervention reduced body mass versus usual care.
-3.3 kg, p<0.001.
Quality of life/fatigue
Some SF-36 domains improved significantly, and FACIT changes were clinically meaningful but not always statistically significant at 20 weeks.
Vitality +16.2, p=0.002; mental health composite +4.1, p=0.042.
Safety/feasibility
Authors reported the intervention was safe and feasible with high HIIT time-in-zone adherence among eligible participants.
86.5% of each interval >=85% HRpeak.
Insights
- In clinical populations, 4 x 4 HIIT should include pre-session HR/BP screening and cardiac-risk exclusion.
- Time in HR zone is useful for fidelity reporting.
- Diet co-interventions can mask or plateau later body-composition effects from added HIIT.
Limitations
- Small pilot sample
- Target sample size not reached
- Combined diet and exercise intervention
- Cannot isolate HIIT-only effect
- Baseline time since diagnosis differed
Safety
- One intervention participant deemed ineligible for HIIT due to high cardiac risk.
- Adverse events were monitored, but specific event counts were not reported in the paper.