Pomegranate Juice May Help With Coronary Heart Disease
A recent randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study investigated whether daily consumption of pomegranate juice for 3 months would affect myocardial perfusion in 45 patients who had ischemic coronary heart disease and myocardial ischemia.
The study concluded that daily consumption of pomegranate juice may improve stress-induced myocardial ischemia in patients who have coronary heart disease. Additional research would help to confirm these findings.
For more information, go to the American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 96, September 2005. Source: American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 96, September 2005. Clinical Trial
Pomegranate Shows Promise As An Antibacterial
A recent scientific research study conducted in Brazil, where pomegranate is widely used as a phytotherapeutic agent, showed that the fruit inhibits Staphylococcus aureus growth and subsequent enterotoxin production. Further research is needed to confirm the antibacterial properties of pomegranate.
For more information, go to the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, January 2005, Volume 96. Source: the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, January 2005, Volume 96. Comparative Study
Pomegranate Juice May Reduce Blood Pressure
Because the consumption of pomegranate juice, rich in tannins, including punicalagins, possess anti-atherosclerotic properties which could be related to its potent anti-oxidative characteristics, researchers decided to see if the juice is capable of being an ACE inhibitor. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme activity which is responsible for the formation of angiotensin II.
Angiotensin II causes arteries in the body to constrict and thereby raises the blood pressure. ACE inhibitors lower the blood pressure by inhibiting the formation of angiotensin II.
The research involved studying the effects of pomegranate juice consumption (50 ml, 1.5mmol of total polyphenols per day, for 2 weeks) by hypertensive patients on their blood pressure and on serum ACE activity. A 36% reduction in serum ACE activity and a 5% reduction in systolic blood pressure were found.
A similar dose dependent inhibitory effect (31%) of pomegranate juice on serum ACE activity was seen also in vitro (test tube). In conclusion, pomegranate juice may offer a wide protection against cardiovascular diseases.
More research is needed to confirm these findings. For more information go to the journal Atherosclerosis, September 2001, Issue 158.
Pomegranate Juice Consumption Attenuates Carotid Artery Stenosis
Dietary supplementation with polyphenolic antioxidants to animals was shown to be associated with the inhibition of LDL oxidation and macrophage foam cell formation, and attenuation of atherosclerosis development.
We investigated the effects of pomegranate juice (PJ, which contains potent tannins and anthocyanins) consumption by atherosclerotic patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) on the progression of carotid lesions and changes in oxidative stress and blood pressure.
Web Release Date: October 7, 2003. Source: Clinical Nutrition, October 7, 2003
Study Suggests Additional Trials May Be Warranted On the Chemopreventative and Adjuvant Therapeutic Applications of Pomegranate in Human Breast Cancer
In a recent scientific research study, pomegranates were processed into three components: fermented juice, aqueous pericarp extract and seed oil. Additional processing of these components yielded polyphenol-rich fractions.
These fractions were then assessed in vitro (test tube) for possible chemopreventative or adjuvant therapeutic potential in human breast cancer cells. From the results of this assessment, researchers say it is clear that both aqueous and oily fractions of pomegranate fruits exert multiple in vitro suppressive effects on human breast cancer cells and that further trials may be warranted.
Source: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Volume 21, 2002
Pomegranate Juice may Slow Growth of Prostate Cancer
www.TheAcorn.com
Pomegranate juice may slow prostate cancer
UCLA study involved 50 men
Drinking an 8-ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, a three year UCLA study has found.
The study involved 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation but quickly experienced increases in prostate-specific antigen or PSA, a biomarker that indicates the presence of cancer. UCLA researchers measured “doubling time”-how long it takes for PSA levels to double-a signal that the cancer is progressing, said Dr. Allan Pantuck, an associate professor of urology, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and lead author of the study.
Differentiation-Promoting Activity of Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Fruit Wxtracts in HL-60 Human Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells
Differentiation refers to the ability of cancer cells to revert to their normal counterparts, and its induction represents an important noncytotoxic therapy for leukemia, and also breast, prostate, and other solid malignancies.
Flavonoids are a group of differentiation-inducing chemicals with a potentially lower toxicology profile than retinoids.
Flavonoid-rich polyphenol fractions from the pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit exert anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, anti-eicosanoid, and pro-apoptotic actions in breast and prostate cancer cells and anti-angiogenic activities in vitro and in vivo.
For more information, go to the Journal of Medicinal Food, Volume 7, Number 1. Web Release Date: April 2004. Journal of Medicinal Food
The Power Of The Pomegranate
CBS News
Sept. 9, 2005
(WebMD) Could osteoarthritis be brought to its knees by a simple fruit?
Researchers aren’t making that declaration just yet. But they have found signs that natural compounds called antioxidants in pomegranates may thwart osteoarthritis.
Pomegranate juice may decrease PSA progression in patients with cancer recurrence after treatment
Published by News-Medical.Net
Published: Thursday, 17-Aug-2006
Because of their high content of antioxidants, pomegranate juice is frequently recommended for cancer prevention and overall wellness. While small studies have suggested a role against prostate carcinogenesis, no organized trials have been published until now.
In the July issue of Clinical Cancer Research, Pantuck and colleagues from UCLA report on the first Phase II study evaluating the efficacy of pomegranate juice against prostate cancer recurrence.
A total of 105 patients were enrolled in a phase II study accruing patients with a rising PSA after prostatectomy or radiation therapy. All patients had serum PSA levels ranging between 0.2 and 5 ng/ml and a Gleason score of 7 or less. All men received 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily until progression. Patient serum was used for concurrent prostate cancer cell-line correlative studies.
Pomegranate juice confirmed as miracle medicine for prostate cancer
(NewsTarget) A UCLA study of pomegranate juice suggests it can have a beneficial effect on prostate cancer in humans.
The study, funded by a pomegranate juice manufacturer, tested men’s levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSAs), a chemical produced by prostate cancer cells, and measured how long it took the PSAs to double in each patient. The men who drank a glass of pomegranate juice daily showed a doubling time of 54 months on average, as opposed to the standard average of 15 months, meaning that pomegranate juice slowed the growth of prostate cancer tumors to less than one-third the typical rate.
The participants showed suppressed PSA levels despite the fact that they were only drinking pomegranate juice, and not supplementing the drink with costly prescription drugs or prohibitively expensive conventional cancer treatments.
“We are hoping we may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population, such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy, both of which bring with them harmful side effects,” lead researcher Dr Allan Pantuck said.
Pantuck added that many substances in the juice could be prompting the positive response, as it is known to have anti-inflammatory effects and also protects the body from cell damaging particles known as free radicals due to a high level of antioxidants.
“We don’t know if it’s one magic bullet or the combination of everything we know is in this juice,” Pantuck said. “My guess is that it’s probably a combination of elements, rather than a single component.”
Despite these impressive findings, pomegranate juice is unlikely to ever be heavily promoted for prostate cancer, since it cannot be patented. Drug companies, pharmacies and hospitals make money on patented chemicals, not natural fruit juices, so there’s no financial incentive to publicize or prescribe pomegranate juice, even when it’s more effective than cancer drugs.