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Jan 6, 2010
Pomegranates ease cancer
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WASHINGTON - ENZYME-BLOCKING chemicals in pomegranates may reduce the risk of estrogen-fueled breast cancers, US researchers said on Tuesday.
An acid found in pomegranates appears to block aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgen to estrogen, a hormone that plays a role in the development of breast cancer, the researchers wrote in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. Researcher Shiuan Chen and colleagues, of the City of Hope cancer research and treatment center in Duarte, California, found that 10 natural compounds in the fruit may potentially prevent estrogen-related breast cancer. He said the compounds would not be a replacement for aromatase inhibitors. 'We do not recommend people start taking this as a replacement for the AI's,' Chen said. 'They (pomegranate compounds) are not as potent as the real drugs so we think that the interest probably is more on the prevention end rather than in a therapeutic purpose.' Dr. Powel Brown, an oncologist at the University of Texas, said in a statement that future studies should focus on testing pomegranate juice for its effect on estrogen levels, menopausal symptoms, breast density or even as a cancer preventive agent. More than 400,000 women die from breast cancer globally every year. About 75 per cent of breast cancers are estrogen-receptor positive, meaning they are fed by estrogen. -- REUTERS
Home > Breaking News > Tech and Science > Story
Jan 6, 2010
Pomegranates ease cancer
<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start -->
WASHINGTON - ENZYME-BLOCKING chemicals in pomegranates may reduce the risk of estrogen-fueled breast cancers, US researchers said on Tuesday.
An acid found in pomegranates appears to block aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgen to estrogen, a hormone that plays a role in the development of breast cancer, the researchers wrote in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. Researcher Shiuan Chen and colleagues, of the City of Hope cancer research and treatment center in Duarte, California, found that 10 natural compounds in the fruit may potentially prevent estrogen-related breast cancer. He said the compounds would not be a replacement for aromatase inhibitors. 'We do not recommend people start taking this as a replacement for the AI's,' Chen said. 'They (pomegranate compounds) are not as potent as the real drugs so we think that the interest probably is more on the prevention end rather than in a therapeutic purpose.' Dr. Powel Brown, an oncologist at the University of Texas, said in a statement that future studies should focus on testing pomegranate juice for its effect on estrogen levels, menopausal symptoms, breast density or even as a cancer preventive agent. More than 400,000 women die from breast cancer globally every year. About 75 per cent of breast cancers are estrogen-receptor positive, meaning they are fed by estrogen. -- REUTERS
