Article Most Wanted: prostate

Pomegranate for Prostate, Heart Health and Antioxidant

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<h1 class="chapter" id="c23">
<span class="medium"><i>Punica granatum</i></span></h1>
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<span class="dropcaps">S</span>teeped in history 
and romance, pomegranate is native to the mountainous region that 
includes northern Iraq and northwest Iran. Sumerian cuneiform records 
reveal that pomegranates have been cultivated in the Middle East since 
approximately 3000 <span class="small">B.C</span>. For many centuries 
desert caravans carried the thick-walled fruits as a source of 
nutritious, thirst-quenching juice. In Egyptian art and mythology, the 
pomegranate symbolized abundance and unity. In early Christian, Jewish, 
and Islamic artistic traditions, the fruit represented blood, death, and
 the renewal of life. According to Greek mythology, Persephone, daughter
 of the goddess Demeter, makes the mistake of eating pomegranate seeds 
in the underworld, and so is eternally bound to that place for part of 
every year. The Romans named the fruit <i>Punica granatum</i>, or 
“seeds from Carthage,” possibly because that Phoenician city in North 
Africa was a source of fine pomegranates in the ancient world.<br />
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<h2 class="section" id="c23-s01">
<b>Therapeutic Uses</b></h2>
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<i>Prostate health</i></div>
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<i>Heart health</i></div>
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<i>Antioxidant</i></div>
<div class="extract">
The luscious pomegranate has been cherished as food 
and medicine for at least 4 millennia. Compared with other common fruit 
juices, pomegranate is one of the richest in antioxidant activity, with 
roughly 3 times that of red wine and green tea! Animal studies show that
 pomegranate juice and pomegranate flower extract offer strong 
protection against the progression of atherosclerosis. Studies
 on humans demonstrate a modest effect on blood pressure and 
inflammation reduction—reasons for adding pomegranate to a heart-healthy
 foods list.</div>
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One of the most interesting areas of pomegranate 
research is prostate health. Laboratory and animal studies have shown 
that the fruit’s juice, peel, and oil all interfere with the spread of 
prostate cancer tumors. A 2-year study examined the effect of 8 ounces 
of pomegranate juice on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in 46 men
 who had received surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer. PSA 
levels are used as a marker after cancer treatment to determine if the 
cancer has returned. Treatments are deemed effective if they reduce PSA 
levels in prostate cancer patients and/or prolong the time it takes for 
the PSA level to double (indicating that progression of the cancer is 
slowing). Sixteen of 46 patients (35 percent) exhibited a decline in 
their PSA levels during treatment, while 4 of the 46 patients (2 
percent) achieved a PSA decline of more than 50 percent. Overall, PSA 
doubling time was significantly delayed in a majority of the men 
drinking the juice. After the 2-year study, those who continued to drink
 pomegranate juice had lower PSA levels than those who stopped. At the 
conclusion of the study, the mean PSA doubling time went from 15 to 54 
months, with no adverse events reported.</div>
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In men, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of
 cancer-related death in the U.S. Seven government-funded studies are 
currently evaluating pomegranate’s role in treating prostate cancer.</div>
<h2 class="section" id="c23-s02">
<b>How to Use</b></h2>
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<i>Juice:</i> 8 ounces per day (the typical amount used in research studies).</div>
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<i>Capsules:</i> Generally, 2 to 3 g per day of powdered pomegranate capsules.</div>
<h2 class="section" id="c23-s03">
<b>Precautions</b></h2>
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There are no known safety issues with drinking pomegranate juice or with using pomegranate juice extracts.</div>