Pomegranates are most likely the first fruit mentioned in recorded history. They were important to many ancient cultures in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. The pomegranate played a role in religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Greek mythology; representations of the pomegranate appear in the artwork and temples of these religions. One of the health benefits pomegranates provide is protection of the heart and circulatory system.
Reduction of LDL Cholesterol
Human studies of pomegranate juice consumption lowered the blood concentration of LDL cholesterol and protected LDL cholesterol from oxidation by increasing the serum paraoxonase activity, according to the website Elements 4 Health. A link exists between HDL cholesterol and this enzyme. Pomegranates contain polyphenols and vitamins that act as antioxidants -- the concentration of antioxidants in pomegranates is higher than in any other fruit. Antioxidants are postulated to provide many heart-related benefits including reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol.
Reduces Risk of Stroke
In 2004, a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects on the blood pressure, LDL oxidation and carotid intima-media thickness, or IMT, of patients with carotid artery stenosis over a three year period. IMT measurements compare the two inner layers of the carotid artery by ultrasound and use this measure to determine early detection of atherosclerosis prior to a patient becoming symptomatic. The study investigated the changes in carotid lesions, blood pressure and changes in oxidative stress on patients that consumed pomegranate juice. A group of ten patients drank pomegranate juice daily for the period of one year, while half of those continued for a period of three years. The control group showed an increase of 9 percent in IMT during the one year period, but the group that drank pomegranate juice exhibited a drop in IMT by as much as 30% over the year's time. The conclusion to the study suggests that the high level of antioxidants, from the tannins and polyphenols contained in the pomegranate juice, resulted in the reduction in IMT and systolic blood pressure. The changes in atherosclerosis development may correspond to the inhibiting of LDL oxidation by the antioxidants.
Reduction of Arterial Plaque
Aviram and coworkers reported in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2000 that fatty materials such as cholesterol that exist in the arteries are the main causes of atherosclerosis. The plaque that blocks the arteries come from your diet. The effect of pomegranate juice consumption reducing LDL helps to prevent and reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Pomegranate juice help clean out the arteries of damaging materials. Pomegranate juice acts much like aspirin by inhibiting blood platelets from clumping together and forming clots.
