Does Pomegranate Work?

Many people may wonder, "Does pomegranate work?" Some studies have shown that pomegranates may be effective at slowing down the progression of atherosclerosis. Although there is also some evidence that pomegranates may help to lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart attacks, more research is necessary to confirm these claims. Pomegranates may also help to slow down the progression of prostate cancer following surgery or radiation treatments.

 

Does Pomegranate Really Work?

You may have heard claims that pomegranates work wonders for a variety of different medical problems. But are these claims really true? This article will address some of the questions you may have about the effectiveness of using pomegranates for various health conditions, based on available scientific evidence.
 
Does Pomegranate Work for Heart Health?
Some studies have suggested that pomegranate juice may work to slow down the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), probably due to the antioxidant properties of pomegranates. Pomegranate juice may also decrease systolic blood pressure (the "top" blood pressure number), but it does not seem to affect diastolic blood pressure (the "bottom" number). However, not all studies have shown that pomegranates can lower blood pressure.
 
Early research suggests that pomegranate juice can help lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol"), without affecting triglycerides or HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol"). However, because other studies have found that pomegranate juice has no effect on cholesterol, more research is necessary to see if it really does work for lowering cholesterol.
 
One study showed that pomegranate juice could help prevent a lack of oxygen in the heart during exercise in people who have heart disease. This activity could, theoretically, decrease the risk of heart attacks or other problems, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.
(Does Pomegranate Work? Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;