Pomegranates (Punica granatum) can help prevent or treat risk factors for various diseases such as high blood pressure, oxidative stress, high cholesterol levels, hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and inflammation.[1]

The antioxidants in pomegranate juice are three times more potent than those in red wine and green tea.[2] An animal study found that it is effective in increasing blood flow and improving erectile dysfunction, too.[3]

Pomegranate’s antibacterial and antifungal properties protect against conditions such as gingivitis, denture stomatitis and periodontitis.[4,5] It can stop the reproduction (and also kill some) breast cancer cells.[6,7,8]

Pomegranate & Prostate Cancer

The most prevalent cancer in men, prostate cancer‘s risk is determined by analyzing the presence of PSA, a prostate-specific antigen present in blood. Men whose PSA levels double within a short period of time increase their risk of death from prostate cancer.

Lab research suggests that pomegranate extract can slow the growth rate and induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells.[9,10] Another study found that eight ounces of pomegranate juice every day increases the duration of PSA, doubling from 15 months to 54 months.[11] A similar follow-up study found the same results with a type of pomegranate extract called POMx.[12]

How To Take It

Drink four ounces of pomegranate juice twice daily to improve your prostate health.

Advisory: The content made available at Z Living has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or by any other governmental agency. It is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

For more interesting stories, visit our Health page and read about other Natural Remedies here.

Read More:

Science Says: Green Tea May Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Science Says: New Urine Test Improves Prostate Cancer Detection

Science Says: Young Prostate Cancer Patients Could Suffer More Hot Flashes

References:

1. Zarfeshany A, Asgary S, Javanmard SH. Potent health effects of pomegranate. Advanced Biomedical Research. 2014;3:100. doi:10.4103/2277-9175.129371.

2. Gil MI, Tomás-Barberán FA, Hess-Pierce B, Holcroft DM, Kader AA. Antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice and its relationship with phenolic composition and processing. J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Oct;48(10):4581-9. PubMed PMID: 11052704.

3. Azadzoi KM, Schulman RN, Aviram M, Siroky MB. Oxidative stress in arteriogenic erectile dysfunction: prophylactic role of antioxidants. J Urol. 2005 Jul;174(1):386-93. PubMed PMID: 15947695.

4. Abdollahzadeh S, Mashouf R, Mortazavi H, Moghaddam M, Roozbahani N, Vahedi M. Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Punica Granatum Peel Extracts Against Oral Pathogens. Journal of Dentistry (Tehran, Iran). 2011;8(1):1-6.

5. Vasconcelos LC, Sampaio MC, Sampaio FC, Higino JS. Use of Punica granatum as an antifungal agent against candidosis associated with denture stomatitis. Mycoses. 2003 Jun;46(5-6):192-6. PubMed PMID: 12801361.

6. Jeune MA, Kumi-Diaka J, Brown J. Anticancer activities of pomegranate extracts and genistein in human breast cancer cells. J Med Food. 2005 Winter;8(4):469-75. PubMed PMID: 16379557.

7. Dikmen M, Ozturk N, Ozturk Y. The antioxidant potency of Punica granatum L. Fruit peel reduces cell proliferation and induces apoptosis on breast cancer. J Med Food. 2011 Dec;14(12):1638-46. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2011.0062. Epub 2011 Aug 23. PubMed PMID: 21861726.

8. Shirode AB, Kovvuru P, Chittur SV, Henning SM, Heber D, Reliene R. Antiproliferative effects of pomegranate extract in MCF-7 breast cancer cells are associated with reduced DNA repair gene expression and induction of double strand breaks. Mol Carcinog. 2014 Jun;53(6):458-70. doi: 10.1002/mc.21995. Epub 2013 Jan 28. PubMed PMID: 23359482.

9. Sineh Sepehr K, Baradaran B, Mazandarani M, Khori V, Shahneh FZ. Studies on the Cytotoxic Activities of Punica granatum L. var. spinosa (Apple Punice) Extract on Prostate Cell Line by Induction of Apoptosis. ISRN Pharm. 2012;2012:547942. doi: 10.5402/2012/547942. Epub 2012 Dec 17. PubMed PMID: 23320197; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3539436.

10. Shirode AB, Kovvuru P, Chittur SV, Henning SM, Heber D, Reliene R. Antiproliferative effects of pomegranate extract in MCF-7 breast cancer cells are associated with reduced DNA repair gene expression and induction of double strand breaks. Mol Carcinog. 2014 Jun;53(6):458-70. doi: 10.1002/mc.21995. Epub 2013 Jan 28. PubMed PMID: 23359482.

11. Pantuck AJ, Leppert JT, Zomorodian N, Aronson W, Hong J, Barnard RJ, Seeram N, Liker H, Wang H, Elashoff R, Heber D, Aviram M, Ignarro L, Belldegrun A. Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Jul 1;12(13):4018-26. PubMed PMID: 16818701.

12. Paller C, Ye X, Wozniak P, et al. A randomized phase II study of pomegranate extract for men with rising PSA following initial therapy for localized prostate cancer. Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. 2013;16(1):50-55. doi:10.1038/pcan.2012.20.