Pomegranate Juice Helps Keep Psa Levels Stable In Men With Prostate Cancer

AScribe Newswire, July 3, 2006

Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, a three-year UCLA study has found. The study involved 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation but quickly experienced increases in prostate-specific antigen or PSA, a biomarker that indicates the presence of cancer.

UCLA researchers measured "doubling time," how long it takes for PSA levels to double, a signal that the cancer is progressing, said Dr. Allan Pantuck, an associate professor of urology, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and lead author of the study.

And, according to new in vitro and in vivo studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, pomegranate extract may prevent prostate cancer or slow its growth. Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and his colleagues note in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that pomegranates are high in polyphenolic compounds, making its juice higher in antioxidant activity than red wine and green tea.

In terms of recommending pomegranate juice to patients with prostate cancer, Dr. Mukhtar told Reuters Health, "Based on the data we have it's highly unlikely that it will produce any adverse effects and it is highly possible that it will produce useful effects."

Moreover, he added, since his group has also shown that pomegranate extract inhibits skin cancer growth, it is possible that the fruit would be of benefit in many types of cancer.