Potential Health Benefits of Pomegranate

The pomegranate, or Punica granatum, is a shrub that produces red fruit(1). Pomegranates are unique-looking spherical fruits with thick red skin, white spongy inner walls, and white seeds individually encased in thick red juice sacs.The juice sacs have a pleasing sweet-sour taste and the edible seeds have a crunchy texture.   


Pomegranates Are Loaded With Important Nutrients

Pomegranates have an impressive nutrient profile — one cup of seeds  (174 grams) contains (2):

  • Fiber: 7 grams
  • Protein: 3 grams
  • Vitamin C: 30% of the RDI
  • Vitamin K: 36% of the RDI
  • Folate: 16% of the RDI
  • Potassium: 12% of the RDI

The pomegranate seeds are also sweet, with one cup containing 24 grams of sugar and 144 calories. However, pomegranates really shine in their wealth of powerful plant compounds, some of which have potent medicinal properties:

Punicalagins

Punicalagins are extremely potent antioxidants found in pomegranate juice and peel.

They’re so powerful that pomegranate juice has been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of red wine and green tea (3). Pomegranate extract and products are typically made from the peel, due to its high antioxidant and punicalagin content.

Punicic Acid

Punicic acid, found in pomegranate seed oil, is the main fatty acid in the arils. It’s a type of conjugated linoleic acid with potent biological effects. Studies have shown that they may have several benefits for your body, possibly lowering your risk of various diseases (4).

Below are 6 evidence-based health benefits of pomegranate.

1. Impressive Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Chronic inflammation is one of the leading drivers of many serious diseases. This includes heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even obesity.

Pomegranates have potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagins. Test-tube studies have shown that they can reduce inflammatory activity in the digestive tract, as well as in breast cancer and colon cancer cells (5 ,6, 7). One 12-week study in people with diabetes found that 1.1 cups (250 ml) of pomegranate juice per day lowered the inflammatory markers CRP and interleukin-6 by 32% and 30%, respectively (8). Moreover, a study has shown that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of pomegranate may accelerate the wound healing process, and can be attributed partly to the valuable vitamins as well.

2. May Help Fight Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer in men. Laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract may slow cancer cell reproduction and even induce apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells (9, 10). The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a blood marker for prostate cancer. Men whose PSA levels double in a short period of time are at an increased risk of death from prostate cancer. Interestingly, a human study found that drinking 8 ounces (237 ml) of pomegranate juice per day increased the PSA doubling time from 15 months to 54 months — a monumental increase (11). A follow-up study found similar improvements using a type of pomegranate extract called POMx (12).

3. May Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the leading drivers of heart attacks and strokes.

In one study, people with hypertension had a significant reduction in blood pressure after consuming 5 ounces (150 ml) of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks (13). Other studies have found similar effects, especially for systolic blood pressure, which is the higher number in a blood pressure reading (14, 15).

4. May Lower The Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is currently the world’s most common cause of premature death (16). It’s a complicated disease, driven by many different factors. Punicic acid, the main fatty acid in pomegranate, may help protect against several steps in the heart disease process.

A study looked at the effects of pomegranate juice in people with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. They noted significant reductions in “bad” LDL cholesterol, as well as other improvements (18). Pomegranate juice has also been shown — in both animal and human studies as to protect LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation, one of the key steps in the pathway towards heart disease (19, 20, 21, 22).

Finally, one research analysis concluded that pomegranate juice reduces high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease (23).

5. Can Help Fight Bacterial and Fungal Infections

The plant compounds in pomegranate can help fight harmful microorganisms (24). For example, they have been shown to combat some types of bacteria as well as the yeast Candida albicans (25, 26). The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects may also be protective against infections and inflammation in your mouth. This includes conditions like gingivitis, periodontitis and denture stomatitis (27, 28).

6. May Help Improve Memory

There is some evidence that pomegranate can improve memory. One study in surgical patients found that 2 grams of pomegranate extract prevented deficits in memory after surgery (29). Another study in 28 older adults with memory complaints found that 8 ounces (237 ml) of pomegranate juice per day significantly improved markers of verbal and visual memory (30).Studies in mice also suggest that pomegranate may help fight Alzheimer’s disease (31).

Super Diet Pomegranate

Super diet has selected this pomegranate juice produced using organic farming practices and provides 30ml Pomegranate for 2 phials which is with no added sugar, colouring free, alcohol free and preservative free. Recommendation: Take 1 or 2 phials per day pure or diluted in half a glass of water. 



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