Posted by kathryn in Antioxidants and Q & A Thursday

Another question for Q & A Thursday. Mariana has asked:

Pomegranate Juice. There has been a lot of talk about the wonderful nutritional value found in this fruit. I cannot get the fruit in my local fruit shop. Consequently I have been using pomegranate juice that says “all natural”, no preservatives and no added sugar but 100% made from pomegranate concentrate. Am I getting any nutritional value from this at all or am I just wasting my money?

Over the last couple of years there’s been an explosion in research into pomegranates. A quick trawl through Pubmed, shows it’s currently being investigated for:

• reducing the risk of prostate cancer
• improving erectile dysfunction
• combating liver disorders
• there are even suggestions pomegranate wine may be more protective against cardiovascular disease than red wine

Fruit vs juice

I can remember having pomegranates growing up in the UK. My mum used to pack one in my lunchbox as an occasional treat. When ripe they’re delicious, however they’re tricky and a bit time-consuming to eat. While the flesh is sweet and juicy, it’s riddled with small, bitter pips.

All the research I can find into the health benefits of pomegranates uses the juice and not the fresh fruit. This is probably partly due to the difficulties with eating the fruit.

Pomegranate juice is definitely a healthy food. Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and we’re are gradually finding they contain more and more antioxidants. At the moment, research into the disease fighting capabilities of pomegranate juice is in its early stages. Most of the research has been done on mice and there have been very few human trials. While some of the health claims will almost certainly be backed up by human studies, pomegranate juice is, like most superfoods, only one aspect of a healthy diet.

What is Q & A Thursday?

This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a weekly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical and sensible answers to food, diet and health dilemmas sent in by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, then either leave a comment or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.

20 September, 2007