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The anti-prostate cancer effects of pomegranate and its extracts may be related to stopping en enzyme in the liver which processes environmental carcinogens, says a new study.
Pomegranates, a rich source of antioxidants, have been linked to improved heart health, but a growing body of science indicates the fruit protects against prostate cancer. Studies have also reported a role in joint health by slowing cartilage loss in arthritis. It is these antioxidants, and particularly ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which accounts for about half of the fruit's antioxidant ability, that are reportedly behind the proposed health benefits.
The new study, led by Daneel Ferreira from the University of Mississippi, deepens our understanding of how the constituents of the fruit may boost prostate health.
"Our results indicate a previously unexplored pathway through which pomegranate juice constituents may contribute to prostate cancer chemoprevention," they write.
Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Ferreira and his co-workers report that pomegranate's elligitannin compounds may inhibit the activity of cytochrom P450 1B1, and enzyme known to be highly expressed in various human cancers, but not in normal tissues, and an established target in the prevention of prostate cancer.
Over half a million men worldwide are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, with over 20,000 deaths from the disease. The lower incidence of cancer are in Asia and the Far East, in particular India and China.
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