One of the major risk factors for heart disease that most of us are aware of is cholesterol. We see commercials on television for cholesterol lowering meds, advertisements in magazines and education materials everywhere we turn urging us to lower our cholesterol.
I have to admit that I used to get just a bit impatient with all the ads and hype about cholesterol. It seemed a bit like overkill. That is, I felt like that until I started writing about women’s heart issues and understood the very serious nature of heart disease as it relates to our future longevity.
Since longevity and beating the odds on heart disease sounds like a good thing to me, I’m always on the lookout for anything that will help all of us sisters keep from being one of the statistics on heart disease. I came across an interesting string of articles about pomegranates and their beneficial impact in lowering blood cholesterol. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never eaten a Pomegranate. In fact, I’m not really certain that I’ve ever seen a pomegranate down at the local grocery store but if it could help lower my cholesterol levels, I wanted to know more.
Pomegranates originated from the Mediterranean, Indian and Southeast Asian parts of the world. They were introduced into California by Spanish settles in the mid-1700s. They are about the size of an orange, with a reddish outer rind or skin which is very tough. The interior of the pomegranate is filled with red pulp (very juicy) and hundreds of seeds. Unlike some fruits, you only consume the pulp and the seeds and do not eat the rind/skin. Pomegranates are similar to an apple in that they have a long storage life (7 months if stored between 32° - 41° F).
According the California Rare Fruit Growers, Pomegranates are like a fine wine – they get better with age, becoming juicier and more flavorful the longer they are stored.
Pomegranates are also filled with flavonoids and polyphenols, which are major antioxidants. Antioxidants shield plants from environmental toxins and help to repair environmental damage. They also protect against free radicals and the damage that they cause. Free radical damage may lead to increased bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and to the formation of plaque in our arteries. When we consume plants that are rich in antioxidants, it is believed that those protective benefits are passed on to us, resulting in lower LDL levels and less plaque formation. (Dark chocolate is also rich in flavonoids, see, https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/09/30/woman%E2%80%99s-heart-dark-chocolate-flavonoids-and-heart-health?page=0,0 for more information.) Pomegranates are more than just filled with antioxidants - they are genuinely high in antioxidants. Pomegranate juice has a higher level of antioxidants than do other fruit juices. It also contains more antioxidants than green tea, blueberries, cranberries or red wine.
In addition to lowering LDL cholesterol, drinking pomegranate juice has also been linked to lower blood pressure (another risk factor for heart disease). It’s also been shown to speed up the rate at which the plaque blockages in your arteries dissolve. In one study, participants with documented carotid artery blockages were given an ounce of Pomegranate juice each day. At the end of the one year trial period, it was reported that participants had a 20% decrease in blood pressure and a 30% reduction in plaque. Participants who did not drink Pomegranate juice saw an increase by 9% of plaque.
Generally, it’s thought that you can drink an ounce and half of Pomegranate juice a day without any side effects. The only reason for caution appears not to be in the juice itself, but in its interaction with blood pressure and other medications which you may be taking. Pomegranate juice can change the metabolism of some prescription medications so if you are going to start drinking Pomegranate juice on a regular basis, check with your doctor or pharmacists to make certain it won’t have any counter-productive effects on your current medication. Also, if you have high blood pressure and are taking a blood pressure medication, you’ll want to check as well before beginning regular consumption of pomegranate juice. Why? Pomegranate juice, when combined with some blood pressure medications, may cause your blood pressure to become too low. This makes sense since pomegranate juice has been known to lower blood pressure as well.
So, if you’re looking for a natural way to lower your LDL cholesterol, keep those arteries clean and lower your blood pressure at the same time, you might want to try drinking a glass of Pomegranate juice. Bon appétit!
Until next time, here’s wishing you a healthy heart.
(Disclaimer: I am not a physician and nothing in this article should be construed as giving medical advice. As with any medical decision, please consult your physician.)
Note: For more information on heart health related issues, please visit other “A Woman’s Heart” articles by this author.
Sources:
Pomegranate juice: Can it lower cholesterol?, Georgia Department of Community Health, http://georgiahealthinfo.gov/cms/node/127420
Behrenbeck, Thomas, MD, High Blood Cholesterol: Can drinking pomegranate juice help lower my cholesterol?, The Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pomegranate-juice/AN01227
Furhman, Joel, MD, Secrets Revealed: The Powerful Health Benefits of the Pomegranate, Dr. Furman.com, http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article19.aspx
Pomegranate, California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., 2007, http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html