Pomegranate
Pomegranate
In the ongoing quest to find new supplements to help us lead
longer, healthier lives, science often returns to things that have
been used regularly for thousands of years. A case in point is the
pomegranate, whose yellowish-pink, seedy fruit has been a staple of
Asian diets since ancient times.
Appropriately, in ancient Greek myth, the pomegranate represents
life and regeneration.1 Its herbal use dates back more than 3,000
years, but contemporary science has rediscovered the pomegranate’s
effectiveness in preventing a variety of potentially deadly
diseases.2
Dozens of recent studies reveal the pomegranate’s surprising array
of benefits. Pomegranates contain powerful antioxidants that appear
to inhibit the onset of atherosclerosis, reduce the risk of heart
disease, and mediate high blood pressure. Pomegranate extract also
has demonstrated anticarcinogenic properties that are effective in
suppressing a variety of cancers, including skin, breast, and colon
cancers. The pomegranate has even shown effectiveness in
alleviating depression in a mouse model of menopause.
The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a hardy, long-lived
subtropical shrub originating in semi-arid regions of Asia.3 It has
been cultivated and naturalized over the whole of the
Mediter-ranean region since ancient times. Pomegranates are
mentioned in Egyptian papyrus scrolls dating back to 1550 BC, and
pomegranate branches form part of the decorative motif on the
pillars of King Solomon’s temple.
Spanish settlers introduced pomegranates to California in 1769.4 In
the US today, they are typically cultivated in the drier parts of
California and Arizona.
Reining in Free Radicals
Free radicals—the oxygen-reactive byproducts of normal cellular
metabolism that attack healthy cells—have been implicated in the
acceleration of the body’s natural aging processes. Free radicals
can also be formed by external environmental factors such as
cigarette smoke and other forms of air pollution.5 Damage by
unchecked free-radical compounds can manifest as serious illnesses;
for example, cancer is now known to be associated with free-radical
damage to healthy cellular DNA.
More than a decade ago, pomegranate peel extracts were shown to
possess significant antioxidant activity in various in-vitro
models.6 An extract of pomegranate peel was fed to rats, which were
then exposed to carbon tetrachloride, a toxic chemical. The
pretreatment with pomegranate extract protected levels of the
antioxidant enzymes catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase
in the rats. The pomegranate extract also helped to protect the
rats’ livers from the toxic effects of carbon tetrachloride.6
Another more recent study focused on the antioxidant effectiveness
of plant pigments called bioflavonoids, commonly found in berries,
cherries, grapes, and citrus. Pomegranate juice was found to
exhibit three times more antioxidant activity than red wine or
green tea.7 The active constituent that appears to be responsible
is ellagic acid, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound in
pomegranates.
Unclogging Arteries
Numerous studies of atherosclerosis suggest that the disease is at
least partly caused by free-radical reactions involving
diet-derived lipids that induce harmful changes in the arterial
walls.8
A recent study by the Lipid Research Laboratory in Haifa, Israel,
explored dietary supplementation with polyphenolic antioxidants in
animals. The researchers noted that pomegranate juice was
associated with the inhibition of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
oxidation and with slowing the development of atherosclerosis.9
The Israeli researchers further ascertained the effects of
pomegranate juice consumption by atherosclerotic patients with
carotid artery stenosis (a narrowing of the carotid artery walls).
Ten patients supplemented with the juice for one year. In the
pomegranate-supplemented group, carotid intima-media thickness, an
indicator of atherosclerosis progression, was reduced by up to 30%.
By contrast, in a control group that did not consume pomegranate
juice, carotid intima-media thickness increased by 9% over 12
months. Moreover, in the pomegranate-supplemented patients, serum
LDL levels were also significantly reduced while serum total
antioxidant status increased by 130% after one year.9
Reducing Hypertension
Hypertension (high blood pressure) affects an estimated 50 million
Americans and augments the risk for stroke, heart disease,
peripheral vascular disease, and kidney disease. Pomegranates may
be of benefit in modulating this often silent yet potentially
lethal risk factor for heart disease.
In the Israeli study, systolic blood pressure was reduced by 21%
after one year of pomegranate juice consumption.9 This effect is
believed to be related to the particularly potent antioxidant
properties of pomegranate polyphenols.
A similar study at the same research facility examined consumption
of pomegranate juice t
