JANUARY 7, 2021 POMEGRANATE

I always question whether it was an apple or a pomegranate in the Garden of Eden. There have been many studies on the benefit of this fruit, its juice and its seeds.

Pomegranate juice contains higher levels of antioxidants than most other fruit juices. It also has three times more antioxidants than red wine and green tea. The antioxidants in pomegranate juice can help remove free radicals, protect cells from damage, and reduce inflammation. We also know that the polyphenols in pomegranates exhibit antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and antihyperglycemic effects. The authors conducted a controlled clinical trial to study the effects of fresh PGJ on levels of insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and melatonin in adults with impaired fasting glucose

While reviewing my HerbalGram by the American Botanical Council on line in December 2020. The article was titled

Pomegranate Juice Produces Antihyperglycemic Response in Adults with Impaired Fasting Glucose

Banihani SA, Fashtaky RA, Makahleh SM, El-Akawi ZJ, Khabour OF, Saadeh NA. Effect of fresh pomegranate juice on the level of melatonin, insulin, and fasting serum glucose in healthy individuals and people with impaired fasting glucose. Food Sci Nutr. 2020;8(1):567-574. doi:10.1002/fsn3.1344.

In this study, fresh PGJ produced an antihyperglycemic response and a decrease in insulin resistance three hours after consumption in participants with IFG. All study participants experienced lower melatonin levels and higher insulin levels one hour after drinking PGJ. "These results provide some encouragement for people with prediabetes regarding fresh PGJ consumption as an alternative and safe-dietary contribution for blood glucose homeostasis," write the authors. This article is a nice, promising preliminary study of the antihyperglycemic effect of pomegranate juice in humans with IFG

I found this study to be useful and beneficial in my clinical practice.

Until tomorrow…