Pomegranite juice helps keep cancer at bay

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Juice 'can slow prostate cancer'

 

Pomegranates have been linked to many health benefits

Drinking a daily eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice can significantly

slow the progress of prostate cancer, a study suggests.

Researchers say the effect may be so large that it may help older men

outlive the disease.

 

Pomegranates contain a cocktail of chemicals which minimise cell damage, and

potentially kill off cancer cells.

 

The study, by the University of California in Los Angeles, appears in the

journal Clinical Cancer Research.

 

There are many substances in pomegranate juice that may be prompting this

response

 

Previous research had indicated that pomegranate juice could have a

beneficial effect on prostate cancer in tests on mice.

 

But the latest study has shown that humans can potentially benefit too.

 

The UCLA team focused on 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation

treatment for prostate cancer - but had shown signs that the disease was

rapidly returning.

 

The presence of prostate cancer cells is monitored by measuring levels of a

chemical they produce called prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

 

The researchers measured how long it took for PSA levels to double in

individual patients - a short doubling time indicates that the cancer is

progressing quickly.

 

The average doubling time is about 15 months, but in patients who drank

pomegranate juice this increased to an average of 54 months.

 

Some men on the study continue to show suppressed PSA levels after more than

three years, even though they are receiving no treatment apart from drinking

pomegranate juice.

 

Combination effect

 

Lead researcher Dr Allan Pantuck said: "I was surprised when I saw such an

improvement in PSA numbers.

 

"In older men 65 to 70 who have been treated for prostate cancer, we can

give them pomegranate juice and it may be possible for them to outlive their

risk of dying from their cancer.

 

"We are hoping we may be able to prevent or delay the need for other

therapies usually used in this population such as hormone treatment or

chemotherapy, both of which bring with them harmful side effects."

 

Pomegranate juice is known to have anti-inflammatory effects and high levels

of anti-oxidants, which are believed to protect the body from damage by

particles called free radicals.

 

It also contains isoflavones which are believed to play a role in cancer

cell death.

 

Dr Pantuck said: "There are many substances in pomegranate juice that may be

prompting this response.

 

"We don't know if it's one magic bullet or the combination of everything we

know is in this juice.

 

"My guess is that it's probably a combination of elements, rather than a

single component."

 

Chris Hiley, of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said more work was needed to

firm up the findings.

 

She said: "It may well turn out that pomegranate juice has a wider

application than just delaying disease progression in men with prostate

cancer who have already been treated.

 

"It might also help as a reassuring low-key intervention for men whose

cancer is being monitored rather than treated."

 

Dr Laura-Jane Armstrong, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "If the

results of this study can be confirmed, it could have important implications

for prostate cancer patients, especially by delaying the use of other more

aggressive treatments that can have debilitating side effects."