Pomegranate is one of our favourite fruits, due to both its great taste and the beneficial properties its many nutrients can offer. It is a great ally to our health, as it can help boost the body’s natural defences. Its powerful antioxidant effects and rich Vitamin C content are only a couple of the reasons why pomegranates should be included in our diet!
Compared to 25 other types of fruit, pomegranate (along with berries) has powerful antioxidant properties. It is rich in Vitamins C, B5, and K, as well as in potassium, calcium, manganese, and other useful elements to our body, which, among other things, help our skin maintain its elasticity and firmness.
Pomegranate consumption can help regulate metabolic syndrome and glucose levels in the blood. It can also improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin, decrease inflammation, and improve many other factors related to metabolic syndrome, which can often lead to obesity and is a precursor of diabetes. Furthermore, pomegranate consumption can also contribute to weight loss. At the same time, it can prevent the oxidation of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and decrease the levels of total and “bad” cholesterol.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect the kidneys from harmful toxins, thus preventing renal damage.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect the liver, and in many cases it can aid its regeneration in case of damage (publication in the ‘Toxicology and Industrial Health’ magazine).
Pomegranate consumption can boost the immune system, due to its high concentration of Vitamin C.
Pomegranates have antiallergic properties due to their high concentration of polyphenols, which are substances proven to aid in decreasing biochemical processes associated with allergies.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect from cardiac conditions, as it helps improve the body’s ability to produce cholesterol, and can destroy free radicals in the vascular system.
Pomegranate consumption can shield the organism from prostate cancer, as it has been proved that pomegranate juice and extract can destroy specific cancer cells.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect against breast cancer. Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, studied the effects and nutritional elements of pomegranate juice, and discovered that some of them can help combat breast cancer. The results of the study showed that pomegranate juice and extract can “potentially constitute a very effective treatment method for the prevention of cancer progression…”.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect against skin cancer. According to a new study published in the ‘British Journal of Dermatology’, pomegranate consumption was associated with the decrease of the two main types of skin cancer, namely basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.
Pomegranate consumption can help protect DNA. Pomegranate’s antioxidants and phytonutrients seem to be able to interact with the body’s genetic material, as a means for its protection (Phytonutrients are the substances contained in plant foods, which provide them with their colouring and protect them from various bacteria. When consumed by humans, phytonutrients help with the proper functioning of the immune system, while they also have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects).
Pomegranate consumption normalises blood pressure, as pomegranate extract can help in preventing the increase of blood pressure, as well as in protecting the arteries by boosting the prevention of plaque formation.
Pomegranate consumption can help in combating infections. It has been determined that pomegranate extract can help increase the effectiveness of a specific drug used to combat “Gram-negative” bacteria.