Pomegranate juice holds promise for prostate cancer

Pomegranate juice has high levels of antioxidants including:

• Polyphenols—which are natural antioxidant compounds that are also found in green tea
• Isoflavones—which you can also find in soy products
• Ellagitannins—which are bioactive polyphenols that are also in strawberries, walnuts, and some wines. Ellagitannins are broken down to ellagic acid, a substance that researchers believe may play a role in killing cancer cells

Antioxidants are beneficial, because they may prevent the risk of cancer by blocking the actions of free radicals that have been associated with causing cell damage.

Extract of this fruit also contains three anthocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin) that researchers believe contribute to its antioxidant activity. In particular, delphinidin has shown promise as a potential cancer-fighting agent in several laboratory studies.

Pomegranate juice has created such a stir among medical researchers that there are several clinical trials currently underway to explore the benefits of pomegranate juice and/or extract in men who have a rising PSA after initial prostate cancer treatment. There is also one study that will explore the use of supplements in men before surgery for prostate cancer.

Other completed studies include:

• In a phase II study of men who had a PSA rise after surgery or radiation (detectable PSA > 0.2 and < 5 ng/mL; Gleason score < or = 7), Pantuck et al reported that the mean PSA doubling time significantly increased in men who drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily from 15 months at baseline to 54 months after treatment
• In laboratory (non-human) studies, Hong et al demonstrated that pomegranate extracts inhibited both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cell growth. Inhibited gene expression involved in androgen-synthesizing enzymes was also demonstrated
• Rettig et al have demonstrated that the fruit extract inhibited androgen-independent prostate cancer growth through a nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent mechanism
• Malik et al demonstrated in an animal study that the fruit extract possessed antitumor-promoting effects in mouse skin

Updated 6/09

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References:

Hong MY, Seeram NP, Heber D. Pomegranate polyphenols down-regulate expression of androgen-synthesizing genes in human prostate cancer cells overexpressing the androgen receptor. J Nutr Biochem. 2008;12:848-55.

Malik A, Afaq F, Sarfaraz S, Adhami VM, Syed DN, Mukhtar H. Pomegranate fruit juice for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005;102(41):14813-8.

Noda Y, Kaneyuki T, Mori A, Packer L. Antioxidant activities of pomegranate fruit extract and its anthocyanidins: delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin. J Agric Food Chem. 2002;50(1):166–171

Pantuck AJ, Leppert JT, Zomorodian N, et al. Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2006;13:4018-26.

Rettig MB, Heber D, An J, Seeram NP, et al. Pomegranate extract inhibits androgen-independent prostate cancer growth through a nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent mechanism. Mol Cancer Ther. 2008;7(9):2662-71.