Compiled & Medically reviewed by

Dr.Sanjana.V.B. Bhms. Dbrm.Cdn

Pomegranate & anti-ageing  potential

        Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) is a fruit with several health benefits. Pomegranates can help prevent or address various  risk factors associated with ageing including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and inflammatory activities.

 Pomegranate is cultivated in Iran, India, and the Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, and Morocco. Pomegranate is categorized as a berry but it belongs to its own botanical family, Punicaceae.

The trees of pomegranate can grow up to 30 feet in height. The leaves are opposite, narrow, oblong with 3-7 cm long and 2 cm broad. The flowers are pink, red or orange in colour, with four to five petals. Edible fruit has a rounded hexagonal shape, with 5-12 cm in diameter and weighing 200 g. The thick skin surrounds around 600 arils, which encapsulates the seeds.

Nutritional value & facts 

One pomegranate (282g) provides 234 calories, 4.7g of protein, 52.7g of carbohydrates, and 3.3g of fat.

Pomegranate seeds, or arils, are a very good source of fiber and rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium.All these minerals are essential for supporting heart and bone health.

Pomegranate is very low in fat and sodium. Consuming pomegranate may not cause any weight gain.It is a  fruit advised even for obese people in their diet.

Whole, fresh pomegranate contains important vitamins and minerals.

There is 16mg of vitamin C in a medium-sized fruit, which is about 18% of the recommended daily value.

Vitamin C is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent  which help the body fight against oxidative stress,free radical injury to vital organs and consequent diseases like cancers,heart diseases etc.

Pomegranates provide lots of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid). Vitamin C is essential for good bone structure, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels.

It helps to prevent age related degenerative changes to a great extent helping collagen formation and working as an antioxidant against oxidative stress induced damages to vital organs.

 Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of iron and promotes wound healing.The fruit’s vitamin C content has anti-inflammatory properties, which may protect against many diseases, such as certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Pomegranate arils are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, substances that can help prevent or delay damage within the cells.Antioxidants help skin health to a great extent.

Research studies show that certain components of pomegranate such as polyphenols have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic effects.

The antioxidant potential of pomegranate juice is more than that of red wine and green tea, which is induced through ellagitannins and hydrosable tannins.

Two other ellagitannins that are found in both pomegranate juice and peel are punicalagin and punicalin.

Several classes of pomegranate flavonoids include anthocyanins, flavan 3-ols, and flavonols.

Pomegranate juice and peel have catechins with a high antioxidant activity. They are essential compounds of anthocyanin's production with antioxidant and inflammatory role. Anthocyanins cause the red color of juice, which is not found in the peel.

    All pomegranate flavonoids show antioxidant activity with indirect inhibition of inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α}.It was shown that pomegranate fruit could be used in the treatment of human prostate cancer because it could inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis.It prevents breast, lung and colon cancers.

      Pomegranate seeds, or arils, are a very good source of fiber.Fibers help reducing blood sugar levels, LDL bad cholesterol and also help in weight loss.

The estimated glycemic load (GL) of fresh pomegranate is 18. Glycemic load is an estimated glycemic index that considers the serving size of a given food or beverage.It is very low compared to many other fruits.Hence eating pomegranate will not raise the blood sugar level instantly. Even diabetic people can consume pomegranate moderately.

How do pomegranates help in cardiovascular diseases?

 Pomegranate juice is an affluent source of polyphenols with high antioxidative potential. Moreover, antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory effects have been shown in limited studies in humans.

Pomegranate juice prevents the activity of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme and reduces systolic blood pressure.It helps to reduce hypertension or high blood pressure.

 Pomegranate seeds, or arils, are a very good source of fiber.Fibers help reducing blood sugar levels, LDL bad cholesterol and also help in weight loss.

Punicic acid, which is the main constituent of pomegranate seed oil, has antiatherogenic effects.it prevents clot formation within the blood vessels. Clots formation is the major cause of strokes and heart attacks in aged people.

 Alzheimer’s & role of pomegranate in health of neurons & nervous system

According to an American study published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience eating this fruit can protect you from neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's disease is a disease affecting the nervous system functioning,particularly in aged people and it is chiefly manifested as dementia or loss of memory.

The studies show the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective action of compounds called urolithins. These protective agents are produced when ellagitannins ,present in pomegranates  are metabolized by intestinal bacteria.Pomegranates help to reduce memory and cognition problems of Alzheimer's disease.

Antioxidants & other compounds of pomegranates

     Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants which are found in a large number of fruit and vegetables.

The researchers observed in vitro that these urolithins lowered the levels of the ß-amyloid protein which is responsible for the formation of toxic clumps between neurons that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Pomegranate juice is a good source of fructose, sucrose, and glucose. It also has some of the simple organic acids such as ascorbic acid, citric acid, fumaric acid, and malic acid.

 It also contains small amounts of all amino acids, specifically proline, methionine, and valine.

Both the juice and peel are rich in polyphenols. The largest classes include tannins and flavonoids with antioxidative and preservative activities

Pomegranates also contain other antioxidant compounds, such as quercetin and anthocyanins, which also repair cell damage caused by oxidative stress.

The antioxidants in pomegranate juice can strengthen muscles and help them recover after exercise. They may also improve performance during athletic exercise.

As per a research study, administration of concentrated pomegranate juice to 22  diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia [  high bad cholesterol ] could significantly reduce TC, LDL-C, LDL-C: HDL-C ratio, and TC: HDL-C ratio. However, it was unable to decrease serum TG and HDL-C concentrations.

So pomegranate juice can reduce bad cholesterol.

Pomegranate drug interactions

Certain medications for high cholesterol (commonly called statins) may interact with pomegranate juice. Both pomegranate juice and grapefruit juice have a similar effect on the body, If you are on statin medication, talk to your doctor about before taking pomegranate .

Reviewed by  Dr.Sanjana .v.b .BHMS,DBRM,CDN.

References

·        https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160711120533.htm

·        https://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/super-seeds-pomegranates-have-anti-ageing-effect/story-2KWM123d7hvSJt9JH0ggTK.html

·        https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21457902/

·        https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20334708/

·        https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17048194/