Pomegranate and Prostates

Pomegranate Juiced Prostate Cancer Patients

PSA (prostate specific antigen) is an enzyme that is produced by both benign and malignant prostate cells. While it is commonly used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, PSA blood testing is also critically important in measuring the efficacy of prostate cancer treatment(s). Once a man undergoes prostate cancer therapy, the PSA blood test can help ascertain if all the cancer has been removed (or destroyed). Ideally, PSA levels should be at zero or near zero after therapy Any significant PSA reading after treatment indicates the presence of residual cancer. Well the pomegranate fruit is part of the prostate solutioin!

The aggressiveness of residual prostate cancer can be evaluated by measuring how quickly PSA rises after initial therapy Doctors look at how long it takes PSA level to "double" in order to calculate the extent of the patient's remaining disease. As an experimental treatment, pomegranate juice was given every day and the results were nothing short of astounding. This study found that 80% of the men receiving pomegranate reduced the velocity PSA increase and extended PSA 'doubling times" out to an average of 54 months.

Prior to the prostate cancer patients began taking pomegranate, their PSA level doubled in only 1.25 years, indicating relatively rapid progression of their disease. After ingestion of pomegranate commenced, it took 4.5 years or 3.6 times longer for their PSA to double again. Based on these PSA readings, men receiving pomegranate significantly delayed the progression of their disease.

A recent UCLA study was published in the prestigious journal Clinical Cancer Research and received a fair amount of media attention regarding the power of pomegranate on the victums of prostate cancer. The results are not surprising. In previous animal studies using transplanted human prostate cancer cell lines, the oral administration of pomegranate led to reduction in the secretion of PSA, corresponding with the significant inhibition of tumor growth and induction of the death of cancer cells.

To further validate the anti-cancer effects of pomegranate, the UCLA scientists took blood from these study participants both before and after pomegranate ingestion began. They then administered the blood taken from these patients to prostate cancer cells in a Petri dish. The blood taken after pomegranate was ingested caused a 12% decrease in prostate cancer cell proliferation and a 17% increase in apoptosis (cancer cell death) compared to pre-pomegranate ingested blood. These cell culture findings, coupled with the clinical data showing that it took 3.6 times longer for PSA levels to double, provide a clear picture of pomegranate's effects against prostate cancer.

The UCLA researchers who conducted this study where so excited they stated that older men who have been treated for prostate cancer may be able to outlive their cancer by taking pomegranate juice every day. The researchers added that pomegranate might enable aging men to delay or avoid the need for chemotherapy and hormone blocking drugs, both of which have harmful side effects.

Research from the University of Wisconsin showed that treating prostate cancer cells with pomegranate extract decreased androgen receptors and PSA expression.25'26 When prostate cancer cells where incubated with low concentrations of pomegranate extract, a dose-related inhibition of cell growth was observed. When human prostate cancer cells were injected into mice, feeding the animals pomegranate extract delayed the appearance of tumors. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited and survival was prolonged in response to pomegranate feeding.

For aging humans, the daily ingestion of pomegranate would be a prudent addition to a cancer risk reduction lifestyle.
[tags]pomegranate, aging, antiaging, prostate-cancer, aging-anti-supplement[/tags]