People & Lifestyle report, July 2006
| POMEGRANATE JUICE REDUCES PSA RISE
Article from Clinical Cancer Research, 1st July 2006.
Reported by: Richard Killick |
Drinking an eight ounce (220mL) glass of pomegranate juice daily slows the rate of rise of PSA in men with recurring prostate cancer, a three-year study at the University of California in Los Angeles has established.
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.
Dr. Allan Pantuck, lead author of the study told us that doubling time is crucial in prostate cancer because patients who have short doubling times are more likely to die from their cancer. The doubling time amongst men whose PSA is rising is typically about 15 months. In the UCLA study the pomegranate juice drinkers had doubling times of 54 months.
"That's a big increase. I was surprised when I saw such an improvement in PSA numbers," Pantuck said. "In older men of 65 to 70 who have been treated for prostate cancer, we can give them pomegranate juice and it may be possible for them to outlive their risk of dying from their cancer. We're hoping we may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy, both of which bring with them harmful side effects."
The study appears in the July 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research.
"This is not a cure, but we may be able to change the way prostate cancer grows," Pantuck said. "We don't know yet the specific factors behind this response - that's our next step in this research. We want to find out what cell signaling pathways might be affected, what is happening to keep PSA levels stable."
Pomegranate juice is known to have anti-inflammatory effects and high levels of anti-oxidants, which are believed to protect the body from free-radical damage. It also contains poly-phenols, natural antioxidant compounds found in green tea, as well as isoflavones commonly found in soy, and ellagic acid, which is believed to play a role in cancer cell death.
"There are many substances in pomegranate juice that may be prompting this response," Pantuck said. "We don't know if it's one magic bullet or the combination of everything we know is in this juice. My guess is that it's probably a combination of elements, rather than a single component."
The levels of PSA in men immediately following treatement should be undetectable, Pantuck said. If PSA can be detected, it's an indication of an aggressive cancer that is likely to progress. The men in Pantuck's study all had detectable PSA following treatment. Of the 50 men enrolled, more than 80 percent experienced improvement in doubling times.
Conventional treatment for men with recurrent prostate cancer includes hormonal therapy, a chemical castration which removes testosterone from the system. Men treated with hormonal therapy can experience hot flushes, osteoporosis, fatigue, depression, muscle wasting, loss of libido and erectile dysfunction. If drinking pomegranate juice can delay or prevent the need for hormonal therapy, patients would experience a better quality of life for a longer time, Pantuck said.
The patients in Pantuck's study experienced no side effects and none of the participants had cancers that metastasized during the study.