The prostate powers of pomegranates

Pomegranate juice could join pumpkin seeds, oysters and parsley in the armoury against prostate enlargement.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have reported that the juice, which is becoming popular in the USA as a health drink, works against prostate cancer cells both in lab dishes and in mice.

Prostate tumors shrank in mice infected with human prostate tumors who drank pomegranate juice, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The juice is rich in antioxidants — hence its deep red colour.

'Our study - while early - adds to growing evidence that pomegranates contain very powerful agents against cancer, particularly prostate cancer,' Dr. Hasan Mukhtar, professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School told Reuters. 'There is good reason now to test this fruit in humans - both for cancer prevention and for treatment.'

It is, of course, a big step from treating infected mice to treating people.