Health benefits of the Pomegranate
The pomegranate has been around for thousands of years and has been considered a fruit fit for royalty in many cultures. Today, the healthy benefits of the pomegranate are bringing to attention to this ancient fruit.
The pomegranate provides up to 16% of an adult’s daily vitamin C requirement for each 100 ml serving and pomegranate juice is a good source of the B vitamin, potassium, pantothenic acid,and antioxidant polyphenols.
The most plentiful polyphenols in pomegranate juice are hydrolyzable tannins called punicalagins. The antioxidant punicalagins absorb into the human body after eating and some studies have shown an average 32% increase in plasma antioxidant capacity.
Because pomegranate extracts have no sugar, calories, or additives, many food and dietary supplement makers use these extracts instead of the pomegranate juice.
Some preliminary laboratory research and human pilot studies have shown that poomegranate juice has been effective in reducing heart disease risk factors, including macrophage oxidative status, LDL oxidation, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Tannins such as punicalagins have been identified by researchers as the primary components responsible for the reduction of oxidative stress which led to these risk factors.
Additional research have shown promising results that indicate that pomegranate juice may be effective against prostate cancer and osteoarthritis. The juice may also have antiviral and antibacterial effects against dental plaque.
After these intial findings, research has continued and in 2007, six clinical trials in the United States, Israel and Norway have been approved to examine the effects of pomegranate juice consumption on parameters of prostate cancer or prostatic hyperplasia, diabetes or lymphoma.
Click here for information on the History of the Pomegranate.
Click here for Pomegranate recipes and culinary uses.
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