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Writer's pictureJahanara Monaf

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is a fruit of the Qur'an and Sunnah, which is often talked about in Islamic tradition. In Chinese tradition, we call it the fruit of the gods. 


The juice is probably the easiest way to consume pomegranate but eating the arils is also a delicious way to snack or add to a salad or breakfast. However, I recommend that you juice the fruit yourself at home due to the added poisons (chemicals, preservatives). In addition, the majority of juices on shelves are reconstituted. 


Pomegranate is beneficial for the following reasons: 

- Punicic acid, found in pomegranate seed oil, is the main fatty acid in the arils. It’s a type of conjugated linolenic acid with potent biological effects.


- Punicalagins are extremely potent anti-oxidants found in pomegranate juice and peel. They’re so powerful that pomegranate juice has been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of red wine and green tea.  


- Laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract may slow cancer cell reproduction and even induce apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a blood marker for prostate cancer. So boys get those pomegranates down your throat.


- Pomegranates have potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagin. Test- tube studies have shown that they can reduce inflammatory activity in the digestive tract, as well as in breast cancer and colon cancer cells.


- Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women I see in the clinic, which could be avoided and I advise a lot about this in the clinic. Pomegranate extract may inhibit the reproduction of breast cancer cells even killing some of them. 


- Lowers blood pressure in one study, people with hypertension had a significant reduction in blood pressure after consuming 5 ounces (150 ml) of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks. Other studies have found similar effects, especially for systolic blood pressure, which is the higher number in a blood pressure reading.


- Reduces arthritis given that the plant compounds in pomegranate have anti-inflammatory effects, it makes sense that they could help treat arthritis. Interestingly, laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract can block enzymes that are known to damage joints in people with osteoarthritis.

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