(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, have identified yet another medicinal use for the pomegranate. According to Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology and author of the recent study, certain pomegranate compounds work to fight prostate cancer cells and prevent them from growing and spreading throughout the body. The findings support earlier work that has also identified the anti-cancer properties of pomegranates.
In order for prostate cancer cells to take hold and spread, they need a steady supply of testosterone. But in the presence of phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids -- four specific types of compounds found in pomegranates -- prostate cancer cells are unable to interact with the hormone and spread. These same compounds prevent prostate and other cancers from spreading to the bones, and they even cause existing cancer cells to die.
In a previous prostate cancer study, researchers also noted that the ellagitannins in pomegranates work not only to slow the growth of cancer cells in general, but also to induce cancer cell death (
http://www.naturalnews.com/022495.html).
"Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same ... components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment," explained Martins-Green.
The findings were presented at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in Philadelphia. They add to the growing body of evidence about the powerful medicinal qualities of
pomegranates that include their ability to prevent and treat infections, inflammation, high cholesterol, tissue damage, heart disease, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, and cancer (
http://www.naturalnews.com/pomegranate.html).
Sources for this story include:http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/pomegranate-juice-compounds-specifical...
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