Another superfood: Pomegranate juice

Though not listed among the superfoods, pomegranate juice certainly seems worthy of the monicker. From an article in Science News on the benefits of flavonoids in highly colored foods:

Pomegranates are even richer in antioxidant flavonoids, especially anthocyanins, than purple grapes are, according to research led by Michael Aviram of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. Over the past 5 years, his team has shown that the flavonoids in pomegranate inhibit cholesterol oxidation in human blood and slow the development of atherosclerotic disease in mice.

In one recent study, Aviram’s team followed volunteers who had atherosclerosis, characterized by symptoms including a narrowing of their carotid arteries. Ten of the participants drank 50 milliliters [1.69 fluid ounces—a little less than 1/4 cup – LG] of pomegranate juice daily for 1 to 3 years. Nine others took a flavonoid-free placebo drink. Throughout the trial, all continued to receive the heart medications that their doctors prescribed.

By the end of the study, the people drinking the pomegranate juice had experienced a 20 percent drop in systolic blood pressure, while the placebo group showed no decline. Similarly, only the pomegranate group experienced a beneficial reduction in the thickness of their carotid artery walls and a dramatic drop in the oxidation-susceptibility of their low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, the team reported in the June 2004 Clinical Nutrition.

Since this article appeared (8 January 2005), I’ve been drinking pomegranate juice daily. I drink 1/4 cup (2 oz) of unsweetened pomegranate juice not made from concentrate. That made from concentrate may be fine, but I’ll go with not made from concentrate if I can.

Be suspicious and read the label carefully. Some bottles contain “pomegranate juice drink” or “pomegranate juice blend.” Check the ingredients to be sure that you are getting 100% pure pomegranate juice with no sugar.

UPDATE: Here’s a superfood smoothie.

Author: Leisureguy

Occupation: Retired, thank God. Sign: Aquarius Computer: MacBook Air (M1) Disposition: Affable Appetite: Healthy Diet: Whole-food plant-based Interests: Varied Punctuation: Exemplary Favorite game to play: Go (11 kyu on KGS) Favorite game to watch: Snooker

One thought on “Another superfood: Pomegranate juice”

  1. One of the superfoods that is mention in times magazines is Goji aside from pomegranates.
    All of this superfoods are better compared to medications along with their side effects that is not beneficial in the long term.

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