Pomegranate Juice & Prostate Cancer

How a glass of wonder juice can help battle prostate cancer

By Julie Wheldon Science Correspondent.

A glass of pomegranate juice a day could dramatically prolong survival for men with prostate cancer, say scientists.

A study found a four-fold difference in the rate at which the disease progressed if men drank the juice regularly.

Scientists from the University of California gave pomegranate juice to 50 men with aggressive prostate cancer. The men drank an eight fluid ounce glass each day.

Researchers then monitored the level of Prostate Specific Antigen in the men’s blood.

This is a key indicator that a cancer is aggressive and likely to recur.

The pomegranate juice dramatically slowed the rate at which PSA levels rose, said the study in the Clinical Cancer Research journal. Prior to drinking the juice the men’s PSA scores doubled in 15 months, but afterwards it typically took 54 months before this occurred.

Researcher Dr. Alan Pantuck said: “That is a big increase”. In older men aged 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.

“This is not a cure but we may be able to change the way prostate cancer grows.”

Pomegranate juice has been found to be an excellent tonic for the heart because of the high levels of anti-oxidants that prevent arteries becoming clogged with cholesterol.

It is thought the effect on the cancer is in part due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

The juice also contains isoflavones, commonly found in plants such as soy, which mimic female hormones and may play a role in killing cancer cells.

“We don’t know if it is one magic bullet or the combination of elements, rather than a single component,” said Dr. Pantuck.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in British men. Each year there are 32,000 cases diagnosed and 10,000 men die from it.

It is usually treated with hormones but these can trigger side-effects such as loss of libido, muscle wasting and osteoporosis.