Promising Pomegranate Prostate Possibilities!

One of the most dreaded consequences of cancer is when the disease metastasizes -- meaning it spreads from the primary site where it started to other parts of the body. But University of California, Riverside (UCR) scientists have announced what could be a major breakthrough in halting metastasis. They've discovered components in the juice of Indian Apples (aka Pomegranate) that inhibit the movement of cancer cells and weaken the attraction of malignant cells to a chemical signal that has been shown to promote metastasis.

Specifically, the research team found that pomegranate juice seems to block the spread of prostate cancer i(in particular) cells to the bone. The group is planning additional tests to determine the effects of various doses of the natural pomegranate compounds and whether there are any side effects. 

Concentration of pomegranate juice was used on two types of laboratory-cultured prostate cancer cells that were resistant to the male hormone testosterone. Medical science has known for a while that when cancerous cells are resistant to testosterone, that it's an indicator those cells have a strong potential to metastasize. Not only did the research team find pomegranate juice killed many cancer tumor cells -- the pomegranate juice treatment also increased cell adhesion and decreased cell migration in those cancer cells that had not died.

When the scientists analyzed the pomegranate juice to figure out which specific ingredients produced the molecular impact on cell adhesion and migration in metastatic prostate cancer cells, Dr. Martins-Green, graduate student Lei Wang and undergraduate student Jeffrey Ho discovered phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids.

"This is particularly exciting because we can now modify these naturally occurring components of the juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis," Dr. Martins-Green said in a media statement."Because the genes and proteins involved in movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment."

The idea that pomegranates have an anti-cancer effect isn't new. In fact, evidence has been steadily accumulating over the past few years that along with other health benefits (such as soothing inflammation in the body (this is where Omega Fatty Acids come in handy) and potentially reducing the risk of heart disease) pomegranates have been strongly shown to prevent and/or treat cancer. For example, earlier in 2010, NaturalNews reported on a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research showing that phytochemicals known as ellagitannins found in pomegranate fruit could prevent the development of hormone-dependent breast cancer and halt the growth of estrogen-driven tumors.

In addition, in a 2006 study of prostate cancer patients who drank eight ounces of pomegranate juice every day, UCLA researchers found a decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels that suggested a potential slowing of cancer progression. More recently, the results of a long-term study published in the Journal of Urology concluded pomegranate juice may effectively slow the progression of prostate cancer, even when regular treatment has failed.

However, despite all the science showing pomegranate juice could have anti-cancer effects, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has come down hard on claims about those potential benefits. In Sept. 2010, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Pom Wonderful, the natural foods company that provided the pomegranate juice for the UCLA research and has supported other research on pomegranate juice, charging the company's claims about the juice's health benefits were misleading.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030862_pomegranates_cancer_cells.html#ixzz19cp5SIoV