Many people think of cranberry juice as a cocktail mixer, or the drink they serve old people in hospital.
Some may use it as a home remedy for everything from urinary tract infections to stomach ulcers to gum disease.
But research also suggests the antioxidants and other nutrients in cranberry juice may help fight against one of the world’s most common cancers.
Studies in animals showed that cranberries can stop proteins that help prostate cancer grow and spread from forming, halting tumors before they become deadly.
Cranberry juice contains nutrients like 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
A 2016 study found giving powdered cranberries to 32 men with prostate cancer helped reduce their blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
PSA levels are thought by some to be an indicator of how active someone’s prostate cancer is, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Urologists at University Hospital Olomouc in the Czech Republic gave patients 1500 mg of cranberry powder, which would be roughly the equivalent of a 6 ounce glass of cranberry juice, for at least 21 days before surgery to remove prostate tumors.
They found that doing so reduced PSA levels, which could be seen as a sign that their cancer was less active. Some doctors have called PSA test into question however.
In lab studies, such as this 2012 research from University of Prince Edward Island scientists, cranberries and their extracts have been shown to reduce the amount of proteins called cyclins in prostate cancer cells.
Cyclins help prostate cancer to grow and spread around the body. Without them, cancer becomes less aggressive, and may not even form in the first place.
This was performed in a test tube, using cells grown from humans, but hasn’t been replicated in a live human.
Behind skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men.
The NCI estimated that around 300,000 people will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024 – representing 15 percent of all new cancer cases.
They predict roughly 12 percent of those people will die from the disease.
Standard treatments for the disease are similar to those for other types of cancer, and might include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
Cranberries are native to the northeastern parts of the US and are high in many nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium potassium and choline.
Its juice has been shown to have antibacterial properties – stopping the H. Pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers, from being able to take hold in the stomach.
Studies have suggested that this bacteria can increase someone’s risk of developing stomach cancer.
Therefore, regularly consuming cranberry juice to reduce your risk of developing an H Pylori infection might help reduce your risk of developing the disease according to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center.
Scientists began looking towards cranberries as a potential protector against prostate cancer in the early 2000’s. A series of studies found similar results to the 2012 study, suggesting that cranberries could stop cancer cells from growing.
This has yet to be replicated fully in humans, and experts at Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center summarized the evidence that cranberries can help prevent against prostate cancer as ‘conflicting’.
