Pomegranate Juice May be Good for the Prostate and Heart

Few American men have heard of the pomegranate, and fewer still have eaten this curious-looking fruit loaded with red seeds. But new scientific findings suggest that pomegranates may one day find a place in healthful diets, reports the April 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

Two recent studies suggest that pomegranate juice may help fight prostate cancer. In one study, scientists grew cells from highly aggressive cases of human prostate cancer in tissue cultures. Pomegranate fruit extracts slowed the growth of the cultured cancer cells and promoted cell death. The researchers then implanted the cancer cells in mice. A group of mice that received water laced with pomegranate juice developed significantly smaller tumors than the untreated animals. In a preliminary study of men with prostate cancer, pomegranate juice lengthened patients’ PSA doubling time (the longer the doubling time, the slower the tumor is growing) from 15 months before treatment to 54 months on the juice.

Preliminary results in test tubes, animals, and humans suggest that pomegranates may also have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. However, preliminary research also suggests that pomegranate juice may interact with certain medications, much like grapefruit juice does.

The bottom line: Early studies raise hopes that pomegranates may have potential benefits for prostate cancer and heart disease, but more research is needed to determine whether these hopes are justified.

WHO recommends circumcision to deter AIDS epidemic

New recommendations from the World Health Organization and the U.N. AIDS agency advise that “countries with rampant AIDS epidemics should begin offering free or subsidized circumcisions in hopes of preventing millions of new infections and deaths.” The announcement “capped a gradual reversal in attitudes about circumcision. A small group of researchers has been hailing its value for more than a decade, producing dozens of studies showing that regions with high HIV rates generally have low rates of circumcision. Three experiments, including two whose results were reported in December, have largely settled the debate in the scientific community.” Circumcision also lowers the risk of genital warts, which can be transmitted to female partners and cause cervical cancer.

PCA3 test can help to identify men with prostate cancer

The MBUA urologists are now offering men a new test for prostate cancer, called PCA3. This test is used for men who have an elevated PSA and a negative prostate biopsy. The test is done in the office on a urine specimen, and can help us decide which patients should have a repeat prostate biopsy and which can be safely followed. Feel free to discuss this with one of our urologists.

Regular screening cuts risk of advanced prostate cancer

A Swedish study of 20,000 men shows that prostate cancer screening every two years cut the risk of metastatic prostate cancer by 50% or more (European Urology, 2007; 51:659-664). In the study 9,972 men were offered regular screening, and 9,973 men were not screened. Twice as many cancer cases were diagnosed in the screened group, but the risk of advanced prostate cancer in the men who complied with regular screening was decreased by 2/3 compared to the men who were not screened. The average survival of men with metastatic prostate cancer is 3.5 yrs, so prostate cancer screening should decrease the risk of death from prostate cancer in men with a longer life expectancy. MBUA recommend prostate cancer screening in all men after age 40 and until they are no longer in good health.

High Zinc intake linked to advanced prostate cancer

A study in Europe of men with prostate cancer showed that men with the highest zinc intake had a two-fold increased risk of aggressive or advanced prostate cancer. Zinc has been advocated as a beneficial supplement for the prostate because the prostate has higher levels of zinc than other tissues, but this study suggests that increased zinc intake may be harmful. Other studies have suggested that increased zinc intake may play a role in benign prostate enlargement.