Pomegranate Power

If these fruits are not on your shopping list, add them now if you want to treat chronic inflammation, and the diseases that go along with it.

Previous research has already suggested that pomegranates may help prevent or reduce the risk of a number of inflammation-linked diseases, including breast and prostate cancer. It also has a role in preventing heart disease by increasing the amount of oxygen it receives and the way it prevents LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from oxidizing. Some evidence is also linking it improvements in the symptoms of erectile dysfunction, if the juice is taken over a long period of time.

Short-term inflammation is a normal immune response, but chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, dementia and autoimmune disorders. Scientists are increasingly coming to believe that pomegranate helps combat inflammation, in part due to its exceptionally high content of antioxidants.

Pomegranate extract was first shown to combat inflammation as long ago as a 2005 study which showed that when injected into human cells, pomegranate extract lowered inflammation and levels of enzymes that can cause cartilage to break down, as in arthritis.

More research followed which confirmed this and the latest is from the University of South Carolina and is the first to study its effects in human cells. Pomegranates are something I always associate with winter, and that cheery red and yellow skin is hiding a powerhouse of benefits so make sure you eat the fruit – one by one with a hatpin as was traditional in my house – or save yourself time and effort and buy the juice!