Nutrition-Pomegranate power

Affectionately known as the ‘jewel of winter’, the
pomegranate is receiving growing acclamation for its
disease-fighting abilities, largely due to its staggering
antioxidant potency. Traditional medicines of the Middle
East and India have used the pomegranate for centuries -
leaves, skin and rind included - to cure everything from
conjunctivitis and sore throats to baldness and hemorrhoids.

This mystical fruit, a symbol of birth, death and eternal
life owing to its brimming seeds and blood-like juice, is
steeped in mythology. The prophet Mohammed encouraged his
followers to eat the fruit to purge their systems of envy
and hatred. In the tales of Ancient Greece, Persephone,
daughter of Demeter the goddess of agriculture, was offered
this fruit by Hades, god of the underworld. In succumbing
to the temptation she condemned herself to spend time each
year with Hades in the underworld. To modern day Greeks the
pomegranate is often a feature at weddings to symbolize
fertility, and in China, a sugared version of the
pomegranate seed is eaten on the wedding day to bless
newlyweds.

The juicy, tangy flesh of the fruit’s ruby seeds is
delicious and every bit worth the patience required to
extract them from their pith. Today you can readily buy
pomegranate juice such as pomwonderful or pomegreat from
general and health food stores. The soaring sales of
pomegranate juice in the UK reflects the growing popularity
of this fruit, with RJA Foods reporting a sale increase of
their Pomegreat brand from 50,000 to 500,000 litres per
month in 2005.

Pro-Heart

Pomegranates are a superfood hugely beneficial to the
heart, and by neutralising damaging free-radicals prevent
the oxidation of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol that is associated
with plaque build up in blood vessel walls. Pomegranate
juice has also been shown to preserve nitric oxide in the
body, a key chemical responsible for regulating blood flow
and maintaining blood vessel health.

One study on 19 elderly people with atherosclerosis, where
plaque was already built-up to a dangerous level, found
that drinking just 8 oz. of 100 per cent pure pomegranate
juice a day for a one year period decreased the thickness
of the lining in their arteries by 30 per cent, where
controls experienced an actual rise of 9 per cent. Further
more, those who drank the pomegranate juice also had a 21
per cent decrease in blood pressure (Aviram et al. 2004;
Clinical Nutrition). Pomegranate juice also decreases the
activity of an enzyme in the body known as ACE (angiotensin
converting enzyme) that can lead to high blood pressure
resulting in atherosclerosis.

Anti-Cancer Properties

Research at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology led
by Dr. Ephraim Lansky (2001) found that pomegranate seed
oil triggered cell death (apotosis) in breast cancer cells.
A recent study at the University of Wisconsin Medical
School (2005) also revealed anti-cancer effects,
discovering pomegranate juice to killed human prostate
cancer cells in laboratory tests and significantly slowed
the progression of prostate cancer in mice (published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Aid for Arthritis

Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University found
that extract of pomegranate inhibited the stimulation of
certain enzymes that contribute to the cartilage
degradation in osteoarthritis, a condition that currently
lacks perspective for treatment. This is reassuring when
one considers the vast and growing numbers of those who
suffer from the disease.

As well as heart-health, anti-cancer, and arthritic
protection, pomegranates offer all-round protection against
aging and disease due to their antioxidant potency. Studies
suggest pomegranate juice may contain almost three times
the antioxidant power of green tea and red wine due to
their content of flavonoids. They also provide substantial
amounts of potassium, iron, folic acid and vitamin C, as
well as vitamins A and E, niacin, and fibre.


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