Study of pomegranate extract shows no effect on PSADT

I think the role of oxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer is far less well understood than you believe. Especially important is the role of the immune system in killing cancer using ROS. Apoptosis - needed to keep healthy cells around - seems to be dependent upon it as well. It seems to me that current media campaigns aimed at increasing our intake of antioxidants are poorly founded in scientific evidence, and in the case of supplements, may turn out to do more harm than good. I think it is reckless to advocate the use of any supplements before their clinical effects are proven. We have seen the danger when people jumped on the bandwagon of Vitamin E supplementation (especially when paired with Selenium - a powerful antioxidant).

There is only one extant clinical trial for pomegranate for PC (NCT02095145). The Resnicks have funded a lot of research (as well as a wing at UCLA), and who can blame them? But is it any better or worse than any other highly colored fruit juice (e.g., raspberry, blueberry, grape, etc.) which have also shown benefit only in the lab? Most substances that show benefit in lab studies fail in clinical trials. Perhaps the Resnicks ought to fund comparative studies of pomegranate vs grape juice extracts, but I highly doubt they ever would. I am a big advocate of foods - our bodies evolved to draw necessary nutrients in the amounts needed from foods we eat. We did not evolve to deal with extracts, concentrates, and large amounts of particular chemical ingredients in that food. At that point, a line has been crossed and efficacy and safety must be proven first.

- Allen

Yooper, I think your info is incorrect. All RCTs - there are two I know of - showed no effect. Pomi-T is not pomegranate, it's just one of several ingredients.

Yooper, my point was that pomegranate was only one of several ingredients in Pomi-T, and you can't draw any valid conclusions about the presence of pomegranate extract in it. Based on the OP study, it is most likely an inert ingredient, so there is probably no correlation with Pomi-T effectiveness. The makers could probably save themselves some cost by eliminating it as an ingredient, although an interaction effect can't be excluded.

You are correct, A Yooper, this is not the be-all/end-all. It looks like the next area of study focus should/will be on understanding who has the genetic makeup (or exactly what is the genetic makeup) that can most benefit from the pomegranate anti-cancer traits previously demonstrated in the lab, and in other completed observational studies. TA, I hear ya that you think this is a “Hail Mary,” but the evidence is that not all human beings are created exactly biologically equal. I’ll point out, further, that diet-based studies in humans are extremely difficult to design, accrue and sustain.

"Black." (Your turn TA) (:

NKinney said...
Some of you guys seem awfully disappointed (as evidenced in your “told you so!” comments) that this one study didn’t result in proof of pomegranate as a silver bullet/miracle cure. Too bad, so sad.

This is the way science progresses…a step at a time. Making the connections takes time. The foundational theory behind the beneficial mechanisms (for many diseases) of antioxidents, oxidative stress and inflammations is understood, but we have yet to understand and identify why some people benefit and others do not; and ultimately, how even more people could eventually benefit. For example, what is the role of the genetic tumor suppressor p53 (which is inactivated in most cancers) in the antioxidant defense and metabolism? It works in mice. How can we make it work in humans? Dietary studies are challenging and complex.

Well, recognize that this is NOT the end. Just today, a quick search of PubMed.gov shows 1,180 papers already in the literature (search criteria: “pomegranate”). A search of ClinicalTrials.gov shows currently 20 “open” trails (again, search criteria: “pomegranate”). For complete clarity, in both these cases, the studies and trials are not only about prostate cancer…and that’s my point here. It’s clear that there are benefits not only in the area of PC to at least some men, but also in many other areas of medicine as you can see in the titles of the studies and trials…they just haven’t been nailed down YET. Other areas of pomegranate scientific study include other cancers, fighting obesity, memory loss, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the common cold.
Ref.: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=pomegranate
Ref.: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=pomegranate

Sorry, you guys, that it’s not a miracle cure…but you can continue to keep your fingers crossed if you’d like…further work IS ongoing in this area.

Yes NK, I confess: even though I have never tasted Pom, and even though I have only rarely considered giving it a try, I am still bitterly disappointed that this study does not prove that Pom is a cure for my G9! Sorry, call me crazy, but that is just what I would really like and I am disappointed that there is little or no evidence that is the case!

But like you say, such is science and maybe someday?

Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 8/19/2015 6:00:01 PM (GMT-6)

Hey A Yoop, "White!" Hahaha

BB, re-read and you will see who the comment was addressed to.

NKinney said...
Hey A Yoop, "White!" Hahaha

Yep, you got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!