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Pomegranate Fruit Facts
The pomegranate has been cultivated and prized for thousands of years in the Mediterranean and Africa, But it is actually
native to the East, where it originally grew between Iran and the Himalaya Mountains in India. The pomegranate was introduced
to North and Latin America in the late 1700s. Today in the United States the pomegranate industry is big in California
and Arizona.
Pomegranates have three to seven times as much powerful antioxidant value as green tea. Antioxidants are important because
of their ability to reduce the harmful effects of oxidants, or “free radicals,” and can help repair damage already
done to cells.
Pomegranates are also high in Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and fiber and contain the minerals iron, potassium
and calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and folic acid.
Pomegranate super fruit also contains the powerful antioxidants polyphenols,
tannins and anthocyanins, higher than most other fruit juices, red wine or green tea.
Pomegranate Juice Research
According to results published in the August 2006 issue of Atherosclerosis, subjects who drank 6 ounces of pomegranate
juice per day for three months experienced a reduced risk for atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to arterial wall thickening
and hardening. Atherosclerosis accounts for 80% of all deaths among diabetic patients.
Clinical research shows that pomegranates, when part of a healthy diet, might help prevent heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, because of its ability to thin the blood, increase blood flow to the heart, reduce blood
pressure, reduce plaque in the arteries, and reduce bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol. Sugars in the juice did not worsen diabetes blood sugar levels.
Clinical research shows that pomegranates, when part of a healthy diet, might
help prevent heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. This is because pomegranates have the potential to thin the blood,
increase blood flow to the heart, reduce blood pressure, reduce plaque in the arteries, and reduce bad cholesterol while increasing
good cholesterol.
Research also shows that the juice improved erections in 47% of the participants in a small study of men who suffer from
mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.
Pomegranates and Cancer Research
Modern research suggests that pomegranates might be useful in treating such serious conditions as prostate cancer, skin
cancer, osteoarthritis, and diabetes. Studies also show that pomegranate seeds might help rid the digestive system of fats.
Pomegranate juice was found to have the highest polyphenol content of any
beverage, even out competing recent "superfoods" such as acai berry
or green and white tea.
Pomegranate Juice Potential Health Benefits
Pomegranates have very high content of punicalagins, a powerful anti-oxidant
component.
The antioxidant ability in this fruit is two or three times higher than that
of red wine and green tea.
The pomegranate has been used in natural and holistic medicine to treat sore
throats, coughs, urinary infections, digestive disorders, skin disorders, arthritis, and to expel tapeworms.
The level of powerful antioxidants is even higher than those of other fruits
known to have high levels of antioxidants, such as blueberries, cranberries and oranges, due to the very high polyphenol
content in the fruit.
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