Nutrition and Lifestyle Changes in Patients With Previously Untreated Stage I or Stage II Prostate Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma (small cell acinar type) of the prostate

  * Has undergone an extended pattern biopsy (defined as 8+ cores) within the past 2 years OR is scheduled to undergo an extended pattern clinical biopsy within 6 weeks of starting study intervention and is willing to undergo 4 additional research core biopsies
  * No more than 33% of biopsy cores positive (\> 33% of biopsy cores positive allowed if due to microfoci of adenocarcinoma)
  * No more than 50% of the length of a tumor core involved by carcinoma
* Clinical stage T1 or T2a disease
* Previously untreated disease
* Gleason score ≤ 6 with no pattern 4 or 5 histology (Gleason pattern 4 seen as a microfocus \[\< 2 mm in length\] allowed)
* Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≤ 10.0 ng/mL (PSA \< 15 ng/mL allowed for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostatitis)

  * Must have had 3 serum PSA levels performed ≥ 2 weeks apart over the past year to allow calculation of a PSA doubling time

    * No PSA doubling time of \< 3 months
* Has chosen watchful waiting as treatment

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy \> 3 months
* Living in the greater San Francisco Bay Area
* Willing to make comprehensive lifestyle changes
* Baseline dietary fat intake ≥ 15%
* Able to participate in the exercise portion of this study, as determined by the cardiologist or primary care physician
* No limited exercise tolerance precluding participation in the lifestyle intervention component of this study
* No comprehensive lifestyle change similar to the lifestyle intervention used in this study
* No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Coronary artery disease requiring a revascularization procedure
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior or other concurrent treatment for prostate cancer, including any of the following:

  * Surgery
  * Radiotherapy
  * Hormonal therapy (e.g., leuprolide acetate, bicalutamide, flutamide, goserelin, megestrol acetate, nilutamide, or DES/estrogen)
  * Chemotherapy
  * PC-SPES
  * Investigational agents
* More than 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent finasteride or dutasteride
* More than 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent saw palmetto or any other herbal/nutritional preparation that would affect hormone levels
* More than 4 weeks since prior multivitamin/mineral and/or supplemental soy protein, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, fish oil, or any other preparation intended to supplement levels of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids
* More than 1 month since prior and no concurrent NSAIDs, COX-2-inhibitors, and/or aspirin used for \> 7 consecutive days