6 Health Benefits of Pomegranate
Posted on: Saturday, April 8th 2017
Written By: Deanna Minich, PhD
These delicious seeds may be tiny, but they boast BIG therapeutic qualities over a wide range of conditions.
Persephone ate pomegranate seeds and subsequently had to spend a third of the year in the underworld with Hades, according to Greek mythology. If you consume pomegranate, you will not face the same fate; instead, you might just find yourself avoiding an early trip to the afterlife thanks to the numerous health benefits provided by this delicious fruit and its copious amounts of antioxidants.
Lower Blood Pressure
Need a simple reason to drink pomegranate juice? You’ll be happy to know of its favorable effects on blood pressure. A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that consuming pomegranate juice significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The benefits to systolic blood pressure occurred in studies that lasted both under and over 12 weeks, showing that duration was not the biggest factor in the fruit’s efficacy. Dosages above and below 240 cubic centimeters (roughly 8 fluid ounces) also led to significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, while the effects on diastolic blood pressure began at 240 cubic centimeters.
Another study suggests that pomegranate juice has potential to provide immediate benefits. For this randomized, controlled crossover trial, young, healthy men ate a high-fat meal and drank a beverage made with pomegranate extract before or during the meal, while the control group did not. There were no effects on postprandial changes to the lipids levels in the blood. However, consuming the pomegranate drink during or before the meal reduced the postprandial increase in systolic blood pressure.
Improve Cholesterol and Prevent Atherosclerosis
The heart-healthy qualities of pomegranate do not end with blood pressure. It also might help with atherosclerosis in two ways: altering the cholesterol profile and reducing oxidative stress. A clinical trial found that pomegranate seed oil positively altered serum lipid profiles. In this study, 51 subjects with high cholesterol levels were given either a placebo or 400 milligrams of pomegranate seed oil two times a day for four weeks. There was a significant decrease in the triglyceride levels and the triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio, although the LDL cholesterol levels and glucose concentrations did not experience significant changes. Although LDL cholesterol is most associated with atherosclerosis, there is also benefit to decreasing serum triglycerides.
Another study performed with diabetic patients who have an increased risk of atherosclerosis due to increased oxidative stress illustrated that patients who consume 50 milliliters (1.7 fluid ounces) of pomegranate juice every day over a period of three months experience a decrease in some markers of oxidative stress associated with atherosclerosis, namely lipid peroxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). There was also an increase in glutathione, one of the main antioxidants in the body. Additionally, the macrophages uptake of oxidized LDL declined. The latter two results are clear markers of increased antioxidant activity, which could help to prevent atherosclerosis.
Reduce Oxidative Stress
The antioxidant properties of pomegranate provide many of its health benefits beyond just preventing atherosclerosis. There is an association of excess oxidative stress and many chronic illnesses, so finding ways to improve oxidative status might reduce the incidence or severity of these diseases. Drinking pomegranate every day might just help. According to one study, drinking 200 milliliters (about 6.76 ounces) of a drink made from grape and pomegranate juice every day improved oxidative stress in healthy adults. At the end of the 8-week clinical trial, there was a significant decrease in plasma lipid oxidation and an increase in the capacity for antioxidants.
Pomegranate is not just a “super food” for healthy adults; it might also improve the antioxidant capacity in the elderly, and be superior to apple juice. Additional studies point to the ability of pomegranate juice to lessen some of the complications caused by oxidative stress in those who undergo hemodialysis. A single dose of pomegranate juice mitigated some of the inflammation and oxidative stress associated with hemodialysis and IV iron administration. Drinking it over a course of a year provided reduced incidence rate of a second hospitalization.
Enhance Exercise Performance and Recovery
Are you always looking for the next great supplement to improve your exercise performance? Well, pomegranate might just be a contender. A study found that taking a pomegranate supplement prior to exercise might enhance blood flow and increase vessel diameter, which might help improve exercise performance by delaying fatigue. A second, more recent study confirmed these results, showing that taking pomegranate supplements might increase oxygen supply through increased blood flow and vessel diameter to boost performance.
Furthermore, exercise can cause oxidative stress. While not necessarily harmful to the body on its own in the presence of adequate antioxidant capacity, health issues may arise when the stress outweighs the body’s resources. Here, the antioxidant capacity of pomegranate comes to the rescue again. A randomized controlled trial gave participants who performed endurance exercise 200 milliliters (6.76 fluid ounces) per day of pure pomegranate juice, pomegranate juice diluted with water, or a control drink over a period of 21 days.
Those who consumed pomegranate juice experienced a reduction in their oxidative stress markers (specifically protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde), while those who consumed the diluted pomegranate juice maintained their levels and the control group saw an increase in their levels. Another study found that regular intake of pomegranate juice also helped to mitigate inflammatory and oxidative injury, mainly through increasing antioxidant capacity after exercise.
Posted on: Saturday, April 8th 2017
Written By: Deanna Minich, PhD
These delicious seeds may be tiny, but they boast BIG therapeutic qualities over a wide range of conditions.
Persephone ate pomegranate seeds and subsequently had to spend a third of the year in the underworld with Hades, according to Greek mythology. If you consume pomegranate, you will not face the same fate; instead, you might just find yourself avoiding an early trip to the afterlife thanks to the numerous health benefits provided by this delicious fruit and its copious amounts of antioxidants.
Lower Blood Pressure
Need a simple reason to drink pomegranate juice? You’ll be happy to know of its favorable effects on blood pressure. A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that consuming pomegranate juice significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The benefits to systolic blood pressure occurred in studies that lasted both under and over 12 weeks, showing that duration was not the biggest factor in the fruit’s efficacy. Dosages above and below 240 cubic centimeters (roughly 8 fluid ounces) also led to significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, while the effects on diastolic blood pressure began at 240 cubic centimeters.
Another study suggests that pomegranate juice has potential to provide immediate benefits. For this randomized, controlled crossover trial, young, healthy men ate a high-fat meal and drank a beverage made with pomegranate extract before or during the meal, while the control group did not. There were no effects on postprandial changes to the lipids levels in the blood. However, consuming the pomegranate drink during or before the meal reduced the postprandial increase in systolic blood pressure.
Improve Cholesterol and Prevent Atherosclerosis
The heart-healthy qualities of pomegranate do not end with blood pressure. It also might help with atherosclerosis in two ways: altering the cholesterol profile and reducing oxidative stress. A clinical trial found that pomegranate seed oil positively altered serum lipid profiles. In this study, 51 subjects with high cholesterol levels were given either a placebo or 400 milligrams of pomegranate seed oil two times a day for four weeks. There was a significant decrease in the triglyceride levels and the triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio, although the LDL cholesterol levels and glucose concentrations did not experience significant changes. Although LDL cholesterol is most associated with atherosclerosis, there is also benefit to decreasing serum triglycerides.
Another study performed with diabetic patients who have an increased risk of atherosclerosis due to increased oxidative stress illustrated that patients who consume 50 milliliters (1.7 fluid ounces) of pomegranate juice every day over a period of three months experience a decrease in some markers of oxidative stress associated with atherosclerosis, namely lipid peroxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). There was also an increase in glutathione, one of the main antioxidants in the body. Additionally, the macrophages uptake of oxidized LDL declined. The latter two results are clear markers of increased antioxidant activity, which could help to prevent atherosclerosis.
Reduce Oxidative Stress
The antioxidant properties of pomegranate provide many of its health benefits beyond just preventing atherosclerosis. There is an association of excess oxidative stress and many chronic illnesses, so finding ways to improve oxidative status might reduce the incidence or severity of these diseases. Drinking pomegranate every day might just help. According to one study, drinking 200 milliliters (about 6.76 ounces) of a drink made from grape and pomegranate juice every day improved oxidative stress in healthy adults. At the end of the 8-week clinical trial, there was a significant decrease in plasma lipid oxidation and an increase in the capacity for antioxidants.
Pomegranate is not just a “super food” for healthy adults; it might also improve the antioxidant capacity in the elderly, and be superior to apple juice. Additional studies point to the ability of pomegranate juice to lessen some of the complications caused by oxidative stress in those who undergo hemodialysis. A single dose of pomegranate juice mitigated some of the inflammation and oxidative stress associated with hemodialysis and IV iron administration. Drinking it over a course of a year provided reduced incidence rate of a second hospitalization.
Enhance Exercise Performance and Recovery
Are you always looking for the next great supplement to improve your exercise performance? Well, pomegranate might just be a contender. A study found that taking a pomegranate supplement prior to exercise might enhance blood flow and increase vessel diameter, which might help improve exercise performance by delaying fatigue. A second, more recent study confirmed these results, showing that taking pomegranate supplements might increase oxygen supply through increased blood flow and vessel diameter to boost performance.
Furthermore, exercise can cause oxidative stress. While not necessarily harmful to the body on its own in the presence of adequate antioxidant capacity, health issues may arise when the stress outweighs the body’s resources. Here, the antioxidant capacity of pomegranate comes to the rescue again. A randomized controlled trial gave participants who performed endurance exercise 200 milliliters (6.76 fluid ounces) per day of pure pomegranate juice, pomegranate juice diluted with water, or a control drink over a period of 21 days.
Those who consumed pomegranate juice experienced a reduction in their oxidative stress markers (specifically protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde), while those who consumed the diluted pomegranate juice maintained their levels and the control group saw an increase in their levels. Another study found that regular intake of pomegranate juice also helped to mitigate inflammatory and oxidative injury, mainly through increasing antioxidant capacity after exercise.
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