It seems that Pomegranate may pack quite a punch against prostate cancer. New evidence, published in the July 1st issue of Clinical Cancer Rsearch, has shown that an eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice taken daily may slow the development of prostate cancer. A recent 3-year study was conducted involving 50 men who had completed surgical or radiation treatments for prostate cancer. The study measured the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-a protein indicator of prostate cancer-in the participant’s blood, to determine the time it took to double the PSA level. A longer doubling time is favourable and is related to a decreased risk of fatality from the disease. The average doubling time for the subjects prior to drinking pomegranate juice was about 15 months. But drinking pomegranate juice extended this period to 54 months – an almost four-fold increase. There was also evidence that pomegranate juice was actually killing prostate cancer cells. Numbers of cells grown from patients’ blood samples decreased by almost 30%, and cell proliferation – the rate at which cells divided– by 12%. Pomegranate juice is known to be full of anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidants and cancer killing ingredients, but scientists still do not know which ingredients cause the suppression of PSA. The findings create hope that pomegranate juice may be beneficial for those with prostate cancer. Further research has begun to verify the results, with findings due to be released in two years.