Pomegranate juice – a cure all?

Although it sounds too good to be true, there is evidence amassing that pomegranate juice is the natural answer to a list of health problems, ranging from cancer and heart disease to diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

There is, in fact, an impressive amount of scientific research on this sharp-tasting juice. The apparently beneficial effects of the juice have been largely attributed to its antioxidant activity, which is mainly due to the high concentration of polyphenols in the juice.

Pomegranate juice has both a higher total polyphenolic content and a greater antioxidant activity than other commonly consumed fruit juices, including orange, apple, pineapple, grapefruit, red grape and cranberry (Int. J. Food Sci. Tech., 2010).

The effects of the juice are most likely due to a synergistic effect of multiple compounds.

Despite all the positive findings, it is still too early to say whether or not pomegranate juice can prevent or treat a particular condition. However, here is a summary of the findings relating to various health problems.

Cancer – recent laboratory research has revealed that the juice and its components possess potent anti-cancer properties. In one study at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, researchers demonstrated that pomegranate juice might stop prostate cancer from spreading.

The same study identified a number of components in the juice that can both inhibit the growth of cancer cells and weaken their attraction to a chemical signal that promotes the spread of prostate cancer to the bone.

Previous research has suggested that the juice can inhibit the growth of breast, colon and lung cancer cells (Nutr. Cancer, 2009).

Further research is underway to determine whether these results will be supported by a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial (Clin. Cancer Res., 2006).

Heart disease – pomegranate juice appears to have cardio-protective properties. A study at the Preventative Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, CA found that drinking pomegranate juice had beneficial effects on ischaemic coronary heart disease (CHD).

Patients who had been drinking the juice daily for three months, in a placebo-controlled trial, showed that blood flow to the heart improved by around 17 per cent in the pomegranate juice drinking group, while it declined by 18 per cent in the placebo group. The conclusion was that daily drinking of pomegranate juice may improve stress induced myocardial ischemia in patients who have CHD.

Another study showed positive results on patients with narrowing of the carotid arteries due to the buildup of plaque in the vessel walls. After consumption of pomegranate juice over a period of one year, the thickness of the carotid artery walls reduced by up to 30 per cent.

In contrast, the control group showed a further thickening of the arteries.

In addition, regular drinking of the juice also appeared to reduce systolic blood pressure and to retard cholesterol oxidation (Clin. Nutr., 2004).

Diabetes – many diabetics shy away from fruit, however, despite being naturally high in sugar, pomegranate juice has shown promise in the treatment of health problems associated with diabetes.

One study showed that a daily dose of the juice resulted in significant antioxidative effects that might be able to cut the risk of heart disease in such patients (Athero-sclerosis, 2006).

Heart disease risk is increased in diabetes. “In most juices, sugars are present in free, and harmful, forms,” explained the lead study researcher Michael Aviram. “In pomegranate juice the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis.”

Alzheimer’s and other health problems – a study by scientists from Loma Linda University in California suggests that the juice might help fight off Alzheimer’s disease. Trials were carried out on mice predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.

Their findings showed that after six months the mice that consumed pomegranate showed that tasks were carried out more quickly than the control group. They also had a 50 per cent less build-up of the plaque in the hippocampus of the brain.

This plaque is considered to be one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease in humans (Neurobiol. Dis., 2006). Clearly, human clinical trials are required to confirm whether the same results are seen when humans with Alzheimer’s symptoms drink the juice over a regular period.

When researching the results of ordinary people who drank the juice regularly, it is interesting to note that the results are positive. There were a couple of comments from people who said they had diarrhoea after drinking it. That can happen with any juice and will depend on your own constitution.

The amounts varied from six to eight ounces to half a pint and in some cases even more. However, since the juice became a ‘superfood’, the prices have increased, so many people complain it works out expensive to consume.

This is relative to what? There can be no price placed on health. Also, in Malta, we can make our own juice as pomegranates are easier to buy when in season.

Finally, one person suggested mixing cranberry and pomegranate juice together for a really super juice.

That sounds like an excellent idea.

kathryn@maltanet.net