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Johns Hopkins Health Alert

The Promise of Pomegranates

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts | Nutrition and Weight Control | Antioxidants in Pomegranate Juice

They’re delicious and full of heart-healthy antioxidants -- should you add pomegranates to your diet?

The pomegranate, a rosy-red fruit containing glistening red seeds surrounded by pulp, is harvested in the autumn and is now starting to appear in produce sections. An ancient fruit native to the Middle East, the pomegranate has long been valued for its supposed medicinal properties. Recently, scientists have begun gathering evidence to support some of these claims. Recent laboratory studies suggest that powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in pomegranate juice can reduce the progression of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries by inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. The pomegranate juice also appears to stimulate the production of nitric oxide, a chemical that helps blood vessels relax.

If you are considering adding pomegranate juice or the fruit itself to your diet (remember, only the small juice sacs holding the fruit’s seeds are edible), there are a few things to keep in mind. Thus far, most data supporting the pomegranate’s potential health benefits come from laboratory studies and cannot be readily extrapolated to humans. In addition, several large clinical trials failed to show that antioxidants can prevent heart attacks or other major cardiovascular events -- so recent findings need to be kept in perspective.

Another factor to bear in mind is the added calories. Some experts estimate that you would have to drink about 16 oz., or 2 large glasses, of pomegranate juice daily to obtain significant cardiovascular benefits – that’s about 280 calories. Also, consider cost. A 16-oz. bottle of pomegranate juice costs at least $3.30. Finally, another recent study found that pomegranate juice inhibits an enzyme that may alter the metabolism of certain drugs, but more research is needed to determine the implications of these findings for humans. Still, pomegranates are a good source of potassium and vitamin C, and you may want to consider incorporating either the fruit or the juice into your 2 to 4 daily servings of fruit.

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts | Nutrition and Weight Control | Antioxidants in Pomegranate Juice

Posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on September 6, 2006
Reviewed March 2010

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Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.

The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or MediZine LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.


Are there any drug/ vitamin interactions to worry about while taking Pomegranate juice?

I use Plavix, Metoprolol, and take standard vitamins.

Will Pomegranate juice cause dental problems?

Thank You!

Posted by: thebenders | September 16, 2006



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