Powerful Pomegranate

Steven Windley M.D.

I am a big fan of a lot of different fruits. In particular I love berries, especially blueberries. In addition to berries, pomegranates provide some major punch to your health. In general, any fruit can boast some benefit, but pomegranates and pomegranate juice provide some very important benefits for the heart and the brain. I typically am not a big advocate of fruit juices due to the loss of fiber, and perhaps some of vitamins. In addition there can be added sugars, or just a poor nutrient to sugar ratio. But pomegranate juice is the exception. Pomegranate juice has shown benefit for blood flow to the brain and the heart. This means that the blood vessels that bring oxygen to those organs actually improve their capabilities.

One study showed pomegranate juice actually showed improvements in the lining of the carotid arteries. These are the major arteries in the neck bringing blood and oxygen to the brain. It actually decreased the thickness of that inner lining – referred to as the intima-media thickness – by 30% after a year. There was also benefits in blood pressure as well help to oxidized (damaged) cholesterol(1). That is a big deal! Pomegranate has shown benefit in lowering inflammation markers and in a second study, 25% of the pomegranate juice treated group showed improvement in their atherosclerotic disease versus none in the placebo group(2). Pomegranate seeds are a beautiful red color and the juice is sold in the refrigerated area of the fruit and vegetable section. The juice is a deep, dark red and a little tart. I try to drink 3-4 ounces a day. Enjoy.

References: 1 Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Gaitini D, Nitecki S, Hoffman A, Dornfeld L, Volkova N, Presser D, Attias J, Liker H, Hayek T. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;23(3):423-33. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2003.10.002. Erratum in: Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;27(4):671. PMID: 15158307. 2. Shema-Didi L, Sela S, Ore L, Shapiro G, Geron R, Moshe G, Kristal B. One year of pomegranate juice intake decreases oxidative stress, inflammation, and incidence of infections in hemodialysis patients: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Free Radic Biol Med. 2012 Jul 15;53(2):297-304. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.05.013. Epub 2012 May 17. PMID: 22609423. 3