I drink a glass of pomegranate juice every morning with my breakfast, I love its slightly bitter taste, it helps waking me up and gets my metabolism up and running. Pomegranate juice has been praised for its numerous health benefits, that owned it the name of miracle super juice.
Doctors say that one glass of pomegranate juice a day could help thousand live longer...
In fact, researches on pomegranate juice have blossomed in recent years as scientists have discovered that pomegranate juice may be effective in cancer prevention, help lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and slow to fight the deterioration of cartilage in humans.
Nowadays you can find pomegranate juice in almost any shops around the globe. There are several brands you can choose from. You can find pomegranate mixed with other fruit juices for a smoother taste. However, I recommend you go for the straight organic one or, better, make your own with a juicer. It’s a lot of work, as peeling and getting all the seeds it’s hard and time consuming, but man, it tastes sooo good: totally worth it!
Doctors say that one glass of pomegranate juice a day could help thousand live longer...
In fact, researches on pomegranate juice have blossomed in recent years as scientists have discovered that pomegranate juice may be effective in cancer prevention, help lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and slow to fight the deterioration of cartilage in humans.
Nowadays you can find pomegranate juice in almost any shops around the globe. There are several brands you can choose from. You can find pomegranate mixed with other fruit juices for a smoother taste. However, I recommend you go for the straight organic one or, better, make your own with a juicer. It’s a lot of work, as peeling and getting all the seeds it’s hard and time consuming, but man, it tastes sooo good: totally worth it!
Cancer prevention
The april 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch listed two different researches suggesting that pomegranate juice may help fight prostate cancer.
In one study, scientists grew cells from highly aggressive cases of human prostate cancer in tissue cultures. Pomegranate fruit extracts slowed the growth of the cultured cancer cells and promoted cell death. The researchers then implanted the cancer cells in mice. A group of mice that received water laced with pomegranate juice developed significantly smaller tumors than the untreated animals. In a preliminary study of men with prostate cancer, pomegranate juice lengthened patients’ PSA doubling time (the longer the doubling time, the slower the tumor is growing) from 15 months before treatment to 54 months on the juice.
Part of the ability to fight cancer, pomegranate may, in exceptional cases, the antioxidant capacity. University of California, Los Angeles, scientists found that pomegranate juice contains more antioxidants than red wine, orange juice, cranberry juice, açai berry juice, white tea, green tea and concord grape juice.
Fights cholesterol and improves heart health
Preliminary results in test tubes, animals, and humans suggest that pomegranates may also have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. Studies show that pomegranate juice can protect LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidative damage. The juice has also been shown to slow the progression of plaques in mice with atherosclerosis. Results from two small clinical studies are even more intriguing, showing that carotid artery thickness decreased and cardiac blood flow improved in pomegranate juice drinkers.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that patients treated with severe blockages in the arteries were told to drink a one ounces of pomegranate juice daily for a year. These people were 20 percent drop in blood pressure and 30 percent of the amount of plaques in the arteries. Other studies have shown that pomegranate juice to improve the health of families, to reduce the oxidation of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.
A different Israeli study has hailed the juice as a new "super food" that can reduce the risk of heart and artery disease. The fruit is also said to have anti-ageing properties.
Other benefits
Possible natural remedies for arthritis, reported 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition that pomegranate compounds, to the deterioration of human cartilage that causes arthritis slowly.
Drinking pomegranate juice may be the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, research published after 2006. The aging rats were divided into two groups: One group was given pure water, the other group received pomegranate juice diluted. Mice fed grenade was 50 percent less deposits in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease.
Considerations
All studies on pomegranate juice suggest it is surely healthy to drink. The fruit can be quite fun to eat as well.
There are numerous pomegranate juice products available, many quite highly priced because of the health craze surrounding pomegranate juice. It is likely if continued studies show promising health benefits, more manufacturers of pomegranate juice will emerge and help ease prices through competition.
Get some and enjoy all its benefits!
The Iron You
I am from a South East Asian, for generations its been known that Pomegranate is a good source of iron specifically for anemia. I was recently diagnosed to be anemic and my mother and another friend told me to start drinking pomegranate juice. I went to the local grocery store to buy some and picked up a bottle without paying attention to the the nutrients details because my mom told me so. I brought it home and started drinking it religiously. After a couple of days my son showed me the bottle and brought to my attention that there was 0% iron it. I finished that bottle because i know that it is healthy. The next time when I went to the store I checked several brands of pomegranate juice on the shelf and neither one had any Iron listed on the nutrition guide label.I have bought a brand name pomegranate juice to continue drinking it for general health benefits but I am curious about its Iron content.
ReplyDeletePomegranates are not a great source of iron as they contain very little of it. In general fresh fruits don't have much iron.
ReplyDeleteIf you're anemic the best sources of iron are: dried beans, dried fruits (especially apricots, eggs (especially egg yolks), iron-fortified cereals, liver, lean red meat (especially beef), oysters, poultry, dark red meat, salmon, tuna, and whole grains.
And remember that iron from vegetables, fruits, grains, and supplements is harder for the body to absorb so if you're vegetarian or vegan you should be extra careful to get all your daily intake of iron.
Mike