Pomegranate JUICE Help Fight PROSTATE CANCER! POMEGRANATE Juice May Slow Prostate CANCER Progression

Pomegranate juice may slow prostate cancer progression! According to a study presented at the American Urological Association’s annual meeting in 2009, drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day may slow the progression of prostate cancer. The study included 48 men who had a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level following radiation therapy or surgery to treat localized prostate cancer. At the start of the study in 2003, the men had PSA levels greater than 0.2 and less than 5.0 ng/ml, and an average PSA doubling time of 15.4 months. (PSA doubling time is a measure of cancer’s activity, with shorter times indicating more aggressive behavior.) In 2006, researchers reported that the men who drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily had slower PSA doubling times. Since then, researchers continued to follow the participants, 15 of whom stuck with the study for as long as 64 months. They found that the PSA doubling times of the men who kept drinking pomegranate juice were about four times longer than the PSA doubling times at the study’s start — and longer than the PSA doubling times of the men who stopped drinking the juice. For those who want to try pomegranate juice, one note of caution: it’s high in calories. An 8-ounce glass of POM Wonderful, the juice used in the study, contains 160 calories, 50 calories more than a typical glass of orange juice. Pomegranate juice: A cure for prostate cancer? Is it true that pomegranate juice may slow the growth of prostate cancer? How much should I drink? Some research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may slow the progression of prostate cancer. For example, in a study of men with recurrent prostate cancer and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, researchers found that taking pomegranate juice extract significantly slowed the rate at which PSA was rising (PSA doubling time). A longer PSA doubling time can indicate that the cancer may be progressing less rapidly. But this study did not use a control or placebo group. Nor did it measure overall survival. Another study found that the length of time it took for PSA to double after surgery or radiation for prostate cancer was significantly longer in men who drank 8 ounces (237 milliliters) of pomegranate juice daily for up to two years. Other studies have found that certain compounds in pomegranate juice inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. Although these results are encouraging, they're only preliminary. Several additional clinical trials are underway, and it's too early to say if pomegranate juice can definitely slow the growth of prostate cancer. It's also unclear whether drinking pomegranate juice alters the course of prostate cancer overall so that men live longer or better. If you choose to drink pomegranate juice, talk with your doctor first. Although pomegranate juice is generally safe, there is evidence that it may affect how your body processes certain prescription medications. Those medications include the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) and some drugs used to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol.