Prostate cancer is a cancer that affects the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system responsible for producing and secreting seminal fluid. Symptoms of prostate cancer include trouble urinating, blood in semen and blood in urine. Research indicates that consuming specific foods may halt prostate cancer growth.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate is a rich source of antioxidants that might be effective in preventing prostate cancer growth. Mee Young Hong, Ph.D., led a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, who investigated the impact of pomegranate extracts on prostate cancer cells in vitro. They discovered that pomegranate was able to stop prostate cancer growth by promoting apoptosis, or cell death, in the cells. In addition, the study revealed that the antioxidants punicalagins and punicalins were responsible for pomegranate's ability to protect against prostate cancer. The study was published in the December 2008 issue of the "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry."
Red Wine and Green Tea
Red wine and green tea are loaded with antioxidants called polyphenols, which might disrupt prostate cancer growth. In findings reported in the October 2010 issue of the "FASEB Journal," Leyre Brizuela and colleagues from France and Japan examined the mechanism behind red wine and green tea's ability to inhibit cancer growth. Mice altered to develop prostate cancer cells were treated with or without green tea and red wine polyphenols. The researchers found that the mice consuming green tea and red wine experienced reductions in tumor growth compared to mice without red wine and green tea. Polyphenols inhibit a pathway that signals the growth of prostate cancer cells. This, in turn, allows polyphenols to kill prostate cancer cells, according to the scientists. While not yet applicable to humans, this finding could point the way to further research that might one day improve current treatment for human prostate cancer.
Watermelon
Lycopene, the compound that gives tomatoes and watermelon their red color, may help stop cancer growth. Richard van Breemen and Natasa Pajkovic from the University Illinois College of Pharmacy reviewed the literature regarding the anti-cancer effects of lycopene. They found that lycopene blocks prostate cancer growth by inducing apoptosis and preventing oxidative stress, according to research published in the October 2008 issue of the journal "Cancer Letters."
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