These were among the conclusions of a study conducted at the Jonsson Cancer Center at UCLA and published in Clinical Cancer Research.

It took 54 months for PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood content levels to double in recurrent prostate cancer patients who drank pomegranate juice after surgery or radiation treatment, the researchers reported. In contrast, it had taken just 15 months for PSA levels to double in the same patients prior to drinking the daily 8-ounce doses of juice.

PSA is a protein marker for prostate cancer. The faster PSA levels increase in the blood of men after treatment, the greater the possibility they will die of prostate cancer.

Antioxidants Likely Responsible

The research team, led by Allan Pantuck, MD, associate professor in the Department of Urology at David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, conducted additional experiments in order to examine the antioxidant properties of pomegranate juice.

"Pomegranate is high in antioxidants, and there is good evidence that inflammation plays an important role in prostate cancer," Pantuck said.

Like vitamin C and other antioxidants, ellagic acid -- a primary antioxidant in pomegranate juice -- attacks molecules that add oxygen to cellular and circulatory proteins and fats, thus altering their biological function.

"By quenching oxidative species with antioxidants, you are basically preserving circulating nitric oxide, so it can have a greater biologic effect," Dr. Pantuck said. "By decreasing the amount of free radicals, you are probably decreasing the circulating factors that are destroying nitric oxide."

Buys Time, but Not a Cure

Although their findings are encouraging, Dr. Pantuck emphasized that further research is necessary to confirm the biological role of the pomegranate in delaying or preventing the recurrence of prostate cancer in men.

"We don't believe we are curing anyone from prostate cancer," he said.

"In our initial trial, although a third of patients experienced a decrease in their PSA during the study, nobody's PSA went to zero," he pointed out.

"The PSA doubling time, however, was longer. For many men, this may extend the years after surgery or radiation that they remain recurrence-free and their life expectancy is extended. They may be able to prevent the need to undergo additional therapies, such as radiation, hormonal or chemotherapies," he suggested.