Check out this answer from Consensus:
The scientific evidence supports several health benefits of pomegranate juice, including improved glycemic response, reduced blood pressure, enhanced cognitive function, potent antioxidant properties, cardiovascular benefits, improved reproductive health, and reduced oxidative stress in athletes. While more research is needed to fully understand its mechanisms and long-term effects, the current evidence suggests that the health benefits of pomegranate juice are not overhyped.
Pomegranate juice has been touted as a superfood with numerous health benefits. But are these claims substantiated by scientific research, or are they overhyped? This article delves into the scientific evidence to determine the true health benefits of pomegranate juice.
Glycemic Response
One of the significant health claims of pomegranate juice is its ability to lower glycemic response. A study conducted on healthy volunteers demonstrated that pomegranate juice, but not a pomegranate extract, significantly reduced the postprandial glycemic response when consumed with a high-glycemic index food. The study found that the incremental area under the curve for blood glucose was reduced by 33.1%, and peak blood glucose levels were attenuated by 25.4% when pomegranate juice was consumed1. This suggests that pomegranate juice can be beneficial for managing blood sugar levels.
Blood Pressure
Pomegranate juice has also been linked to cardiovascular health, particularly in reducing blood pressure. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that pomegranate juice consumption significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The weighted mean difference for systolic blood pressure was -4.96 mmHg, and for diastolic blood pressure, it was -2.01 mmHg2. These findings indicate that pomegranate juice can be a valuable addition to a heart-healthy diet.
Cognitive Function
Another area of interest is the effect of pomegranate juice on cognitive function. A 12-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the long-term effects of pomegranate juice on memory in middle-aged and older adults. The study found that daily consumption of pomegranate juice stabilized the ability to learn visual information over a 12-month period, whereas the placebo group showed a significant decline3. This suggests that pomegranate juice may have potential benefits for cognitive health.
Antioxidant Properties
Pomegranate juice is rich in polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant properties. A comprehensive review highlighted that pomegranate juice contains tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, which contribute to its high antioxidant capacity. These antioxidants are linked to various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects and the management of obesity and diabetes4. Another study confirmed that commercial pomegranate juices have high total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity5.
Cardiovascular Health
The antioxidant properties of pomegranate juice also extend to cardiovascular health. A study on healthy male volunteers and atherosclerotic mice found that pomegranate juice consumption reduced oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation. In mice, it also reduced the size of atherosclerotic lesions by 44%6. Another study on patients with coronary heart disease found that daily consumption of pomegranate juice improved stress-induced myocardial ischemia10.
Reproductive Health
Pomegranate juice has also been studied for its effects on reproductive health. A study on male rats found that pomegranate juice consumption improved sperm quality, spermatogenic cell density, and antioxidant activity. The study observed significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activities and vitamin C levels, along with a decrease in malondialdehyde levels, a marker of oxidative stress7.
Athletic Performance
For athletes, pomegranate juice may offer benefits in reducing oxidative stress. A randomized controlled trial on endurance-based athletes found that pomegranate juice consumption over a 21-day period improved levels of oxidative stress markers and decreased oxidative damage caused by exercise8.
Hypoglycemic Effects
A systematic review investigated the potential hypoglycemic effects of pomegranate juice. The review found that pomegranate juice could inhibit enzymes like α-amylase and α-glucosidase, increase insulin secretion, and protect pancreatic tissue, thereby contributing to its hypoglycemic effects9.
Are the health benefits of pomegranate juice overhyped?
Gabriel Betanzos-Cabrera has answered Near Certain
An expert from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Molecular Biology
In my experience, pomegranate is a fruit with diverse healthy properties. In our laboratory, we have conducted studies with Mexican pomegranate varieties
Some examples:
1.- One of the first properties described is its antioxidant activity which is higher than other fruits such as orange, grapefruit, grape, including cranberry. This because its high content of polyphenol compounds specifically hidrolizable tannis.
2.-We demonstrated activity antimicrobial of pomegranate juice on clinical isolates of multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. In fact, ampicillin used as control could not inhibit the growth in some strains.
3.-We did a pilot study testing a pomegranate juice microencapsulated (patent in process) with subjects with metabolic syndrome. Overall, the result were not consistent but trends to be significant were found for hypertension, cholesterol and triacylglicerols levels, weight loss, atherogenic index, and glycaemia. However, more clinical trials must be conducted to get reproducible values and to determine effectiveness.
So far this is my experience working with pomegranate
Are the health benefits of pomegranate juice overhyped?
Predrag Putnik has answered Unlikely
An expert from University of Zagreb in Nutrition, Statistics, Food Science
I have strong doubts that pomegranate juice health benefits are overhyped. For details please see below citation from one of our manuscripts Food Chemistry Volume 190, 1 January 2016, Pages 317-323. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814615008341
Quotes from above reference state:
“Pomegranate fruit (Punica granatum L.) has excellent nutritional and health characteristics and is commonly consumed fresh or is used as raw material for food processing (jellies, juices etc.). Also it is used in secondary production of dyes and cosmetics (Opara, Al-Ani, & Al-Shuaibi, 2009). Pomegranate juices (PJ) are rich with natural compounds (polyphenols, anthocyanins, and mineral nutrients) that are important for assessment of juice quality and nutritive value. Current growing interest for PJ is related to its health promoting effects such as antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and cardio protective properties (Karasu, Cumaoglu, Gurpinar, Kartal, Kovacikova, Milackova, et al., 2012; Shema-Didi, Sela, Ore, Shapiro, Geron, Moshe, et al., 2012). Antioxidant activity studies shown that PJ contained higher levels of antioxidants than most fruit juices (Gil, Tomas-Barberan, Hess-Pierce, Holcroft, & Kader, 2000; Hong, Seeram, & Heber, 2008), and diet high in PJ is linked to lowered risk for several chronic and degenerative diseases, including certain cancers and cardiovascular disease (Gil, Tomas-Barberan, Hess-Pierce, Holcroft, & Kader, 2000; Hong, Seeram, & Heber, 2008). ”
and
“The pomegranate fruit is known to contain considerable amounts of phenolic compounds, including flavonol glycosides, procyanidins, phenolic acids, ellagic acid derivatives, and anthocyanins (Fischer, Carle, & Kammerer, 2011; Gomez-Caravaca, Verardo, Toselli, Segura-Carretero, Fernandez-Gutierrez, & Caboni, 2013). Anthocyanins in PJ account for 20-82% of total phenolic content (Gomez-Caravaca, Verardo, Toselli, Segura-Carretero, Fernandez-Gutierrez, & Caboni, 2013). Their content defines quality of PJ with predominant anthocyanins being 3-glucosides and 3,5-diglucoside of cyanidin, delphinidin, and pelargonidin (Fischer, Carle, & Kammerer, 2011; Miguel, Dandlen, Antunes, Neves, & Martins, 2004; Mousavinejad, Emam-Djomeh, Rezaei, & Khodaparast, 2009). Anthocyanins are major constituents of pomegranate arils, and they are responsible for the visual appeal of the brilliant red color of the juice (Alighourchi & Barzegar, 2009; Borochov-Neori, Judeinstein, Tripler, Harari, Greenberg, Shomer, et al., 2009; Gil, Tomas-Barberan, Hess-Pierce, Holcroft, & Kader, 2000).
Chemically speaking, anthocyanins in PJ are mainly glycosides of flavylium cation or 2-phenylbenzopyrylium salts, and their (in)stability is caused by their chemical structure. In fruit juices and other foods they are susceptible to thermal degradation (Bursac Kovacevic, Putnik, Dragovic-Uzelac, Vahcic, Babojelic, & Levaj, 2015) that is accompanied by loss in nutritional and sensory properties (e.g. browning). Browning of fruit juices is commonly caused by degradation of monomeric anthocyanins and their polymerization (Somers & Evans, 1986). Aside from loss in nutritive value, browning strongly affect consumers’ acceptance of juice and its market value. Colorimetric CIELab parameters are suitable for evaluating color change in juices and are a complementary measure of total anthocyanin content and anthocyanin pigment profiles (Culver & Wrolstad, 2008). Industrial factors that affect stability of anthocyanins, include processing and storage temperature, chemical nature of anthocyanins (acylation or glycosylation), pH, quantities of ascorbic acid, hydrogen peroxide, sugars, light, and metals (Cavalcanti, Santos, & Meireles, 2011; Wrolstad, 2004). ”
Are the health benefits of pomegranate juice overhyped?
Richard Hartman has answered Unlikely
An expert from Loma Linda University in Neuroscience
It depends on what you mean by “overhyped” – there are certainly a LOT of published papers, including from my own laboratory, that show beneficial effects of pomegranates, their juice, or even the isolated polyphenolic compounds found in the fruit. A quick Pubmed search reveals over 1700 peer-reviewed papers on the subject. The article quoted in the question is problematic on a number of levels. First, the overwhelming focus on “antioxidants” is misdirected – many in the field believed that it’s really the “anti-inflammatory” properties that are important. Her statement about curcumin is also misleading – there are over 11,000 Pubmed citations for that topic alone. Although she is correct that many of the large polyphenolic phytochemicals are either metabolized into something else or not absorbed into the bloodstream at all , she fails to mention that these metabolites (e.g., urolithins) ARE small enough to pass through the blood-brain barrier and do indeed induce significant anti-inflammatory and other effects. The high levels of sugar found in all fruits can be problematic, although that’s typically only an issue when a large bolus dose is ingested quickly, which can overwhelm the insulin response…. However, nothing says that you need to chug a full glass all at once – in fact, it’s quite easy to slowly ingest a full “dose” (typically defined as 1 8 oz glass of juice) over the course of day by diluting it with iced tea, sparkling water, etc. Finally, remember that none of the so-called “superfoods” is in itself a “super-medicine” – however, the idea is that consuming a diet full of brightly colored, spicy, and strongly-scented plants can help to delay the deleterious effects of aging in conjunction with exercise and other common-sense aspects of a healthy lifestyle.