Pomegranate juice could stem cancer

LONDON: Drinking an eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily could slow the progress of prostate cancer, minimise cell damage and could also kill cancer cells, a new study has found out.

Researchers led by Allan Pantuck at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer - but had shown signs that the disease was rapidly returning, reported the online edition of BBC News.

The presence of prostate cancer cells is monitored by measuring levels of a chemical they produce called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The researchers measured how long it took for PSA levels to double in individual patients — a short doubling time indicates that the cancer is progressing quickly.

The average doubling time is about 15 months, but in patients who drank pomegranate juice, this increased to 54 months. Pomegranates contain a cocktail of chemicals including isoflavones, which are believed to play a role in cancer cell death.