The exotic red fruit known as pomegranate is making headlines again. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have identified components in pomegranate juice that inhibit the movement of cancer cells and the metastasis of prostate cancer to the bone.

The researchers attribute this effect to four key ingredients in the pomegranate: phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated [types of polyunsaturated] fatty acids. “Having identified them, we can now modify cancer-inhibiting components in pomegranate juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis, leading to more effective drug therapies,” says Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology at the university.

She adds: “Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment.”