Pomegranates may help with heart disease

BOSTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Preliminary studies suggest that pomegranates may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer, according to a U.S. newsletter.

Studies show that pomegranate juice can protect LDL "bad" cholesterol from oxidative damage, reported the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Results from two small clinical studies showed those who drank the juice had carotid artery thickness decreased and cardiac blood flow improved.

However, preliminary research also suggests that pomegranate juice may interact with certain medications, in a similar way to grapefruit juice, so more research is needed, the newsletter said.

In a second preliminary study of men with prostate cancer, pomegranate juice lengthened patients' PSA doubling time -- the longer the doubling time, the slower the tumor is growing -- from 15 months before treatment to 54 months on the juice.