WALNUTS for POWER: Polyphenols, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Weight Loss, and EneRgy

October 2, 2026 updated by: Stephen Freedland

This is a randomized control trial testing the effect of walnut supplementation on prostate cancer progression in 50 men with biopsy confirmed prostate cancer and planning to undergo RP. Patients consented to the study will be randomly assigned to either continue their usual diets (control arm) or to the walnut arm for 4-10 weeks depending on the window between their consent date and the date for RP.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The overall objective of this study is to test the effect of walnuts added to a usual diet on prostate cancer progression as measured by Ki67 expression in the prostate tissues. Subjects will be randomized 1:1 to usual diet or usual diet with the addition of 2 ounces of walnuts daily. The baseline visit will occur in conjunction with a standard of care visit post-biopsy, the intervention period will range from 4-10 weeks dependent upon the scheduled date of the standard of care radical prostatectomy (RP), and the final visit will occur in conjunction with a standard of care visit prior to RP.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

52

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90048
        • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pathologically confirmed prostate adenocarcinoma.
  • Diagnostic biopsy cores with ≥10 cores with each core examined separately to determine exact tumor location.
  • Biopsy grade group 2 or higher (Gleason ≥7).
  • Planning to undergo RP.
  • Willing to adhere to a usual diet with the possible addition of 2 oz of walnuts per day.
  • Reads, writes, and understands English.
  • Age 18 or older

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Allergy to nuts.
  • History of receiving hormone therapy or antiandrogen therapy.
  • Use of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors in the past 6 months.
  • Prior prostate radiotherapy (external beam or brachytherapy) or prior prostate cryotherapy.
  • Currently enrolled in a modified diet/weight loss program and/or taking dietary supplements that contain omega-3s (e.g., fish oil).
  • Other active malignancy, excluding basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma
  • Significant co-morbidities (e.g., cardiac, pulmonary, liver disease, alcohol/drug addiction, malabsorption syndromes), that in the opinion of the study physician make the patient ineligible.
  • Individuals with psychological/mental conditions which can affect the consent process and/or their adherence to the protocol.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Usual Diet + Walnuts

Usual diet with the addition of two ounces of walnuts daily, phone counseling with dietitian, for 4-10 weeks

2 ounces of walnuts daily for 4-10 weeks

Subject continues usual diet

Weekly calls with dietitian

Active Comparator: Usual Diet

Usual diet for 4-10 weeks

Subject continues usual diet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Mean difference in prostatic tissue Ki67 expression from baseline biopsy to RP
Time Frame: 10 weeks
10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean difference in prostatic tissue oxidative stress from baseline biopsy to RP
Time Frame: 10 weeks

Measured by prostate tissue 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine

10 weeks
Mean difference in prostatic tissue inflammation from baseline biopsy to RP
Time Frame: 10 weeks

Measured by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine and immune cell infiltration

10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Stephen Freedland, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 22, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 2, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

October 2, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 29, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

January 31, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 2, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IIT2018-23-Freedland-POWR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.