Omega-3 and Prostate Cancer

     Those who examine the 2013 study which was promoted as proof that fish oil causes prostate cancer continue to find serious flaws in the study. Firstly, there was no evidence that anyone in the study group was taking fish oil supplements or eating cold water fish. Levels of omega-3 fatty acids in those supplementing or eating cold water fish average 8.42%. By contrast the levels in those with low prostate cancer risk in this study were 4.48% and the levels of those with high risk were 4.66%. This means both groups were deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and the difference in omega-3 intake was so trivial that the difference could not possibly explain the 71% increased risk o prostate cancer. The difference could be explained by a single meal of salmon the evening before the test.

     Factors poorly accounted for in the study were the following:

1. Genetics: If a father or brother develops prostate cancer the risk rises 120 to 180% or more.
2. Coronary heart disease: Associated with a 35% increase in prostate cancer risk.
3. PSA Levels: 41.1% of the high cancer group had baseline PSA levels at 3.0 mg/mL or above while only 7.3% of the no cancer group did.
4. Omega-3 Intake: A healthy diet results in blood levels of omega-3 of about 6% while supplementation can result in levels over 10%. Both study groups were below 5 indicating deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Previous studies: Numerous previous studies on omega-3 fatty acid intake and prostate cancer clearly show that supplementation decreases risk rather than increasing it.

Reference: 

Lethal risks posed by news media, Life Extension, October 2013, 32-45.

 

 

Pomegranate and Prostate

A study was conducted on 48 men who had been treated for prostate cancer with either surgery or radiation. They were given 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day. Pomegranate juice lengthened the time it took for PSA levels to double from an average of 15 months to 54 months.

Test tube studies revealed a 12% decrease in proliferation and a 17% increase in apoptosis of cancer cells. Apoptosis is a scientific term for cell suicide. In other words, the polyphenols in pomegranate juice increased the tendency of cancer cells to commit suicide.

The researchers also discovered that the tendency for oxidation to occur decreased significantly. The researchers suggested that pomegranate juice may help slow the growth of prostate cancer in patients who have been treated for the disease.

A sidelight of this study was a 23% increase in nitric oxide. Nitric oxide works like viagra for erectile dysfunction. A separate study found that 47% of subjects experienced improvement in erectile dysfunction while consuming 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day.

Since one ounce of GNLD Tre provides the polyphenol equivalant of consuming 20 ounces of pomegranate juice I would like to hear more stories of those who have tried the product for these problems.

References:
Pantuck AJ, Leppert JT, et al, Phase II Study of Pomegranate Juice for Men with Rising Prostate-Specific Antigen following Surgery or Radiation for Prostate Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, 2006; 12(13): 4018-4026.

Forest CP, Padma-Nathan H, Liker HR, Efficacy and safety of pomegranate juice on improvement of erectile dysfunction in male patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, Int J Impot Res, 2007 June 14; [Epub ahead of print].