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August 25, 2006

Pomegranate May Benefit Diabetes Patients

Topics: Health Issues

Because of their high content of antioxidants, pomegranate juice is frequently recommended for cancer prevention and overall wellness.

Pomegranate, already known to be beneficial in prostate and other cancers (this provocative study is the first organized trial studying the efficacy of pomegranate juice for the prevention of prostate cancer recurrence), is back in the news - this time it's related to diabetes and bad cholesterol:

Diabetes patients who drank pomegranate juice had a reduced risk for arteriosclerosis and a reduced uptake of "bad" cholesterol, an Israeli study finds.

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers had 20 subjects drink 6 ounces of pomegranate juice per day for three months. The study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, found the participants experienced a reduced risk for arteriosclerosis, a condition that leads to arterial wall thickening and hardening. Arteriosclerosis accounts for 80 percent of all deaths among diabetic patients.

The researchers also found that drinking pomegranate juice reduced the uptake of oxidized LDL -- "bad" cholesterol.

Lead researcher Michael Aviram, of the Technion Faculty of Medicine, says that sugars contained in pomegranate juice did not worsen diabetes disease parameters -- including blood sugar levels -- in the patients.

"In most juices, sugars are present in free -- and harmful -- forms," explained Aviram. "In pomegranate juice, however, the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against arteriosclerosis."

Read more here.

When taking certain medications, some complications can result when drinking juices like pomegranate and grapefruit juices, such as Rhabdomyolysis during rosuvastatin treatment, and when taking other medications as well. Always consult with your pharmacist and physician when taking medications and wish to drink grapefruit or pomegrante juice.

Cross posted from New Hope Blog

Posted by Richard at August 25, 2006 9:11 AM

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