Many people think of cranberry juice as a cocktail mixer or the drink they serve to the elderly in the hospital.
Some may use it as a home remedy for everything from urinary tract infections to stomach ulcers and gum disease.
But research also suggests that the antioxidants and other nutrients in cranberry juice may help fight one of the world’s most common cancers.
Animal studies have shown that blueberries can prevent proteins that help prostate cancer grow and spread, stopping tumors before they become deadly.
Cranberry juice contains nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium and choline.
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of the disease in men, behind only skin cancer.
TO 2016 Study Giving 32 men with prostate cancer blueberry powder was found to help reduce their blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
Some believe that PSA levels are an indicator of how active a person’s prostate cancer is, according to National Cancer Institute (National Cancer Information).
Urologists at Olomouc University Hospital in the Czech Republic gave patients 1,500 mg of cranberry powder — roughly equivalent to a 6-ounce glass of cranberry juice — for at least 21 days before surgery to remove prostate tumors.
They found that doing so lowered PSA levels, which could be interpreted as a sign that the cancer was less active. However, some doctors have questioned the PSA test.
In laboratory studies, like this 2012 research Scientists at the University of Prince Edward Island have shown that blueberries and their extracts reduce the amount of proteins called cyclins in prostate cancer cells.
Cyclins help prostate cancer grow and spread throughout the body. Without them, the cancer becomes less aggressive and may not even form.
This was done in a test tube, using cells grown in humans, but has not been replicated in a living human.
After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men.
The NCI It is estimated that around 300,000 people will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024, representing 15 percent of all new cancer cases.
About 12 percent of those people are expected to die from the disease.
Standard treatments for the disease are similar to those for other types of cancer and may include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
Blueberries are native to the northeastern U.S. and are high in many nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and choline.
Its juice has been shown to have antibacterial properties. Stop the H. Pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers because it cannot settle in the stomach.
Studies have suggested that this bacteria can increase the risk of developing stomach cancer.
Therefore, regularly consuming cranberry juice to reduce the risk of developing an H Pylori infection could help reduce the risk of developing the disease according to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center.
Scientists began considering blueberries as a possible protector against prostate cancer in the early 2000s. A series of studies found similar resultsThe results of a 2012 study suggest that blueberries may stop the growth of cancer cells.
This has yet to be fully replicated in humans, and experts at Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center summed up the evidence that blueberries may help prevent prostate cancer as “conflicting.”