I love juicing! However a recent talk by an integrative oncologist emphasised the importance of diet rotation. I needed a bit of that to prevent the tumour outflanking my defences!

I decided to cut back on carrot and beetroot juice – the sugar content was a concern – I would juice with less sugary fruit and vegetables. What could I juice then? As luck would have it I came across the POMI-T study (http://www.pomi-t.com/Pomi-T-Paper.pdf) which in my opinion is massive:

This randomised controlled trial investigated patients with prostate cancer. The patients in the active treatment group took a pill containing:

• broccoli powder (Brassica oleracea) 100 mg,
• turmeric powder (Curcuma longa) 100 mg,
• pomegranate whole fruit powder (Punica granatum) 100 mg,
• green tea 5:1 extract (Camellia sinensis) 20 mg equivalent to 100 mg of green tea and
• bulking agent (di-calcium phosphate), anti-caking agents (modified maize-based starch, maltodextrin and magnesium stearate) removed post trial.

The change in prostate specific antigen (PSA) over six months was studied. A control group was given placebo. Well – you certainly wouldn’t want to have been in the placebo group! Even in this small-ish study involving 200 patients a highly significant benefit was seen in patients who took the POMI-T pill. The PSA rise was pretty small whereas in the untreated group a massive 78% rise occurred. The anti-cancer effect does not seem to be mediated through a hormonal mechanism.

What does this mean? Well it is not a clinical outcome study so we don’t really know if the findings correspond to a real benefit to the patients. HOWEVER! All the ingredients may be purchased down my local high street – the wonderful Gloucester Road. Difficult not to buy some pomegranates, curcumin root, broccoli and juice away to my heart’s content. Green tea mid afternoon and Bob’s your uncle, as they say…

Here is a link to a web-page concerning POMI-T with a very excellent youtube clip of Professor Robert Thomas who led the trial:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Diet-and-cancer-Polyphenol-trial-data-suggests-significant-clinical-benefit-for-prostate-cancer

A word of caution: Curcumin has side effects and can thin the blood and may rarely trigger gallstones in susceptible individuals. Also broccoli can affect vitamin K metabolism – patients taking blood thinners need to be careful. So best to discuss with one’s doctor if considering this treatment.