The prostate gland belongs to the male reproductive system. It surrounds a portion of the urethra and makes some components of semen. As a man ages, the prostate in some cases increases the size of in a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, a noncancerous condition.
Does Pomegranate Juice Help to Enlarged Prostate?
Prostate cancer, common in older men, likewise causes augmentation of some regions of the prostate. Pomegranate juice has natural medical properties that may help avoid or slow prostatic augmentation from either BPH or prostate cancer. Discuss pomegranate juice with your doctor to choose if it may help you.
Causes, Symptoms and Testing
The exact causes of both BPH and prostate cancer are still unidentified, although BPH might result from age-related changes in sex hormonal agents, and DNA damage might alter normal prostate cells into malignant cells. Both disorders can cause similar symptoms, including trouble urinating with a weak stream of urine, a regular urge to urinate and incomplete emptying of the bladder. Blood might appear in the urine sometimes, frequent urinary tract infections might happen, and, in prostate cancer, later stages might cause pelvic or hip pain and painful ejaculation. Elevated blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, may suggest the existence of either BPH or prostate cancer; added testing will validate a final diagnosis.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate, also called Chinese apple, is the fruit of a big tree belonging to Iran and grown in many other parts of the world. Pomegranates include numerous seeds, each surrounded by a juicy layer of pulp called the aril. Juice drawn out from the arils is deep pink or red, and it includes numerous natural compounds, such as polyphenols, anthocyanins and ellagic acid, that have biological activity and give the juice its medical value.
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Pomegranate juice hinders an enzyme that produces estrogen, which is a possible reason for BPH in older men, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Substances in pomegranate juice are also potent anti-oxidants that eliminate free radicals from your body. These metabolic by-products and environmental toxins may harm your cellular membranes or DNA, raising the risk that normal prostatic cells may end up being malignant. The University of Maryland Medical Center summarizes lab research studies showing that pomegranate juice hinders growth of cancer cells, causes them to pass away and reduces growth of blood vessels into tumors. In addition, in a scientific research of pomegranate juice published in “Clinical Cancer Research” in 2006, men who had surgery or radiation for prostate cancer and consumed 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily had a decrease in their rate of PSA production and other indications of slower regrowth of their cancer.
Suggestions
Pomegranate juice is offered from specialty or organic food shops, or you might purchase fresh pomegranates and push the seeds to produce juice. Drinking 8 to 12 ounces of pomegranate juice daily is considered safe, although it may aggravate diarrhea or communicate with medications, such as specific types of hypertension drugs and cholesterol-lowering medicines. Speak to your doctor before adding pomegranate juice to your regular regimen.
