Every year I keep a close eye on two shrubs I have in my backyard. The reason is that they produce delicious pomegranates that are packed with potent antioxidants and disease-fighting phytonutrients.
Pomegranates not only grow in my area of San Diego but are plentiful in Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, and Morocco. And when my wife I were touring in Israel before the COVID pandemic, we found pomegranates at local markets all over the place. I even had some freshly squeezed pomegranate juice at the Sea of Galilee and the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem.
Pomegranate contains a rich supply of highly revered polyphenols. Within polyphenols are tannins and flavonoids that provide pomegranate its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. There are different parts of pomegranate that have various phytochemicals that prevent and fight disease. For example, the juice is rich in anthocyanins which provide the red color, as well as cancer-fighting gallic acid, ellagic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, catechins, and rutin. The seeds contain fatty acids, punicic acid, ellagic acid, and sterols. Then there is the pericarp (peel, rind) which one should not throw away. It is rich in catechin, fatty acids, punicalagins, rutin, quercetin, flavones, gallic acid, flavanones, flavonols, and anthocyanidins that promote artery health. And lastly, potassium is a good source of the mineral potassium.
Pomegranate has a protective effect on the brain. A 2019 one-year study of more than 200 older, physically healthy people demonstrated that the consumption of 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily improved memory compared to those taking a placebo drink. An earlier study found that 32 middle-aged or older participants with mild cognitive impairment demonstrated memory improvement as well.
Pomegranate is a potent food-medicine for your heart and arteries. Various human and animal studies have shown that pomegranate juice reduces plaque in arteries (antiatherogenic), lowers blood pressure, and is anti-inflammatory. Also, when researchers reviewed eight studies where people supplemented pomegranate juice, they found that it significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The authors of this study noted that “it may be prudent to include this fruit juice in a heart-healthy diet.” Prudent indeed! In addition, a study of men with elevated lipids given pomegranate seed oil at 800 mg per day resulted in a significant decrease in triglycerides (fats in the blood).
Most impressive, though, is the effect of pomegranate juice on people with carotid artery stenosis (plaque in arteries feeding the brain). The consumption of only 1.7 ounces daily resulted in a reduction of carotid plaque of 30%, while those taking a placebo had a 9% increase in plaque! Researchers also found that pomegranate juice reduced blood pressure and LDL cholesterol oxidation, which is the damaged form of LDL cholesterol contributing to artery plaque. In a different study, researchers found that consuming 3.4 ounces three times weekly for a year by people receiving dialysis for kidney failure resulted in 25% of the participants having improvement in their atherosclerosis (plaque in arteries). In contrast, 50% of those taking a placebo had a worsening of their atherosclerosis.
Pomegranate has been a symbol of fertility since ancient times. A study of pregnant women (35-38 weeks) was given either 8 ounces a day of pomegranate juice or a placebo (apple juice) until delivery. Researchers found the pomegranate protected against damage to human placental tissue.
Pomegranate fruit and juice made from it has been shown to have anticancer effects in test tube and animal studies. This includes prostate, colon, breast, lung, and colon cancer. In addition, pomegranate helps to fight infectious organisms such as Candida albicans and the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the most common cause of urinary tract infections known as Escherichia Coli (E. coli).
I normally drink about 2 to 4 ounces of pomegranate juice daily, diluted in water. During the warm summer months, I add ice for a refreshing drink. Pomegranate juice is high in sugar, so I recommend drinking small amounts of undiluted juice at a time or diluting in water.
Dr. Mark Stengler NMD, MS, is a bestselling author in private practice in Encinitas, California, at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. His newsletter, Dr. Stengler’s Health Breakthroughs, is available at www.markstengler.com and his product line at www.drstengler.com
Anderson P. 2019. Pomegranate Juice May Slow Age-Related Memory Decline. Medscape.
Asgary S, Javanmard S, Zarfeshany A. 2014. Potent health effects of pomegranate. Advanced Biomedical Research 3:100
Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Gaitini D, Nitecki S, Hoffman A, Dornfeld L, Volkova N, Presser D, Attias J, Liker H et al. 2004. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clinical Nutrition 23:423-433.
Chen B, Tuuli M, Longtine M, Shin J, Lawrence R, Inder T, Michael Nelson D. 2012. Pomegranate juice and punicalagin attenuate oxidative stress and apoptosis in human placenta and in human placental trophoblasts. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism 302:E1142-E1152.
Mirmiran P, Fazeli M, Asghari G, Shafiee A, Azizi F. 2010. Effect of pomegranate seed oil on hyperlipidaemic subjects: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. British Journal of Nutrition 104:402-406.
Sahebkar A, Ferri C, Giorgini P, Bo S, Nachtigal P, Grassi D. 2017. Effects of pomegranate juice on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pharmacological Research 115:149-161.
Shema-Didi L, Sela S, Ore L, Shapiro G, Geron R, Moshe G, Kristal B. 2012. One year of pomegranate juice intake decreases oxidative stress, inflammation, and incidence of infections in hemodialysis patients: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 53:297-304.
