Pomegranate has been extensively used as a folk medicine by many cultures. Pomegranate fruit is a rich source of two types of polyphenolic compounds: anthocyanins and hydrolyzable tannins, which account for 92% of the antioxidant activity of the whole fruit.
Pomegranate juice may slow the growth of prostate cancer. Pomegranate juice has been shown to stabilize the levels of men’s PSA, or prostate specific antigen.
Prostate cancer is the most common invasive malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among U.S. males.
According to UCLA study published in July 2006 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, men who drank eight ounces of pomegranate juice a day nearly quadrupled the amount of time that their PSA levels remained stable following prostate-cancer treatment.
Pomegranate juice shows potent antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic properties attributed to its high content of polyphenols, including ellagic acid in its free and bound forms (as ellagitannins and ellagic acid glycosides), gallotannins, and anthocyanins (cyanidin, delphinidin, and pelargonidin glycosides) and other flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin glycosides.
Ellagic acid and tannins have been shown to exhibit in vitro and in vivo anticarcinogenic properties, such as induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as the inhibition of tumor formation and growth in animals.
Medicinal Benefits of Pomegranate: A Natural Ally Against Prostate Cancer
