Seems conventional medicine has gotten a little wiser about the benefits of whole foods as medicine, especially how they can protect and heal your body. A good example of this trend is all the recent news about the pomegranate and how it can fight heart disease and help premature babies resist brain injuries from low oxygen and reduced blood flow.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found another good use for the pomegranate: In an extract form, it may slow down the progression of prostate cancer.
Scientists first discovered the beneficial effect of pomegranate extract while testing various doses on human prostate cancer cells in a laboratory. As the dosage of pomegranate extract increased, more cancer cells died.
Then, researchers tested mice injected with prostate cancer cells and given water with varying amounts of pomegranate extract (0-0.2 percent), based on what a healthy person might consume daily.
Mice given the most pomegranate extract demonstrated the best results: A significant slowing of their cancer progression and decreased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. On the other hand, those that just received water had tumors that grew far faster.
University of Wisconsin-Madison September 26, 2005