Pomegranate Juice Shows Prostate Cancer Potential

A recent study conducted by researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles and the Technion Faculty of Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, Bat-Galim, Haifa, Israel showed that men who drank daily doses of pomegranate juice had slower rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling. Previous research has associated more-rapid rates of PSA have a higher risk of succumbing to cancer. The results of the study were published in the July 1, 2006 issue of Clinical Cancer Research (see http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/13/4018).

The study involved 50 men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Before participating in the study, all of the men had completed their initial prescribed treatment, such as surgery and/or radiation treatment, for the cancer. The patients drank 8 oz. of pomegranate juice on a daily basis. Drinking the juice extended the time of PSA doubling to an average of 54 months--up from an average of 15 months before the juice treatment.

The authors of the study hypothesize that the polyphenols in pomegranate juice might be responsible for this ability to extend the time until PSA doubling and might also potentially play other roles in cancer treatment and/or prevention. The juice administered in the study contained 570 mg total polyphenol gallic acid equivalents. Pomegranate juice has been shown to have high levels of antioxidants.

Although the researchers emphasize that these results are preliminary and cannot form the basis of any definitive conclusions, they note that these promising results warrant further research into the treatment, including a placebo-controlled study.

Funding for the research was provided by Pom Wonderful, Los Angeles. The company also provided the pomegranate juice used during the study.