Pomegranate juice delays prostate cancer

Drinking about 8 ounces of pomegranate juice will significantly delay the development of recurrent prostate cancer by increasing the time it takes for prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels to rise. This is an index to measure tumour activity and thus check the severity of the cancer.

A common form of cancer prevalent in men is prostate cancer. It affects a large number of middle age and old men.

Dr. Allan J. Pantuck from the University of California, Los Angeles conducted a study to test the relationship between pomegranate juice and prostate cancer. The results obtained after the trails proved encouraging and can be useful in treating this form of cancer.

Pomegranate juice was administered to men whose average PSA doubling time was 15 months. The data collected after treatment showed that in the same men the PSA doubling time had increased to 37 months.

Besides a number of antioxidants proven to be anti-carcinogenic, the juice contains some estrogen-like plant substances called phytoestrogens that could be useful in combatting prostate cancer, in particular.

The study was conducted on 48 men with rising PSA levels after surgery or radiation therapy for their malignancy. The results as mentioned above being encouraging, Dr. Pantuck said that a multicenter Phase III randomised trial is being conducted to ascertain the results.

Given these promising findings, Pantuck noted that a multicenter phase III randomized trial is now in the works.

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