Fruit punch reduces prostate tumors

SYDNEY, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A nutrition fruit drink reduced the growth of human prostate cancer in a mouse model by 25 percent in two weeks, researchers in Australia found.

Researchers from the University of Sydney found that after 72 hours of exposure to increasing concentrations of the drink prostate cancer cells showed a dose-dependent reduction in size and viability when compared with untreated cells. After feeding mice a 10 percent solution of the drink for two weeks, the tumors in the test mice were 25 percent smaller than those found in mice that drank only tap water.

"The evidence we have provided suggests that this product could be therapeutic, although it requires clinical validation." study leader Jas Singh, of the University of Sydney, said in a statement.

The nutrition drink -- Blueberry Punch -- is made up of blueberry, red grape, raspberry and elderberry fruit concentrates, grape seed and skin extract, citrus skin extracts, green tea extract, olive leaf and olive pulp extracts, tarragon, turmeric and ginger -- and considered a food rather than a drug.

The study was partially funded by the makers of Blueberry Punch -- Dr. Red Nutraceuticals.

The findings were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Philadelphia.