It’s that time of year…when pomegranates are in season, are a good price and taste fabulous!
Did you know pomegranate juice has been analyzed to have greater antioxidant capacity than red wine, grape juice, cranberry juice, green tea or acai juice?
Dr. Joel Fuhrman promotes eating pomegranates:
“Drinking pomegranate juice measurably reduces oxidative stress in healthy humans. Much research has shown that pomegranate’s potent antioxidant capacity provides protection against heart disease, cancer and cognitive impairment.
Anti-cancer:
- Pomegranate has anti-inflammatory effects that may protect against cancer and other chronic diseases.
- Pomegranate has anti-angiogenic properties, meaning that pomegranate may help to prevent growing tumors from acquiring a blood supply, preventing those tumors from receiving the nutrients that would allow them to grow larger.
- Pomegranate is one of the few foods (mushrooms are another) that contain natural aromatase inhibitors — this means that they inhibit the production of estrogen, which can reduce breast cancer risk.
- In men after treatment for prostate cancer, two studies have shown that pomegranate juice or supplements slowed the increase in PSA.
Cardioprotective:
- Pomegranate phytochemicals reduce LDL oxidation (a contributor to atherosclerotic plaque development).
- Pomegranate phytochemicals have blood pressure-reducing properties.
- In a study of patients with severe carotid artery blockages, after one ounce of pomegranate juice daily for one year, there was a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque. In striking contrast, in the participants who did not take the pomegranate juice atherosclerotic plaque increased by 9 percent.
Memory and brain function:
- Pomegranate supplements taken before and after surgery prevented the postoperative memory dysfunction associated with coronary artery bypass or heart valve surgery.
- In those with mild memory complaints, those drinking pomegranate juice daily performed better on a memory task compared to placebo and displayed increased brain activation measured by functional MRI.
Find full article here.
I hope this motivates you to enjoy fresh pomegranates now and also to remember to use pomegranate juice to get the health benefits all year round!
Check out some fabulous pomegranate recipes here and here.
Source: WFM 1-10