The pomegranate has numerous health properties; it is antioxidant, anticancer, good for the heart and contains many nutrients necessary for health.
The pomegranate is the fruit from the pomegranate (punica granatum), a tree belonging to the family Lytrhaceae which blooms from April to June. It is native to Asia, from a region close to Iran, although little by little it has spread to other places such as the Mediterranean countries, South America, South Africa or Australia. This tree can also be found in some areas of the Iberian Peninsula and in the Balearic Islands.
The pomegranate is a very old tree with a mystical component. There are samples of its existence and its beneficial properties since ancient times. The pomegranate appears in great religious works such as the Bible, the Torah, and the Babylonian Talmud as a sacred fruit that brought good luck, abundance, and enhanced fertility..
It has been a highly valued fruit throughout history. It was the emblem of the Roman emperor, Maximiliano and appears on the coat of arms of the city of Granada (Spain).
Its health benefits have made it a highly valued fruit in traditional medicine and that it continues to be so today.
The pomegranate, like other vegetables classified within the group of nutraceutical foods, is very useful to prevent the oxidation of the body's cells and to fight against free radicals, which cause a large part of infections.
However, these properties are not only in its juice where there are a large amount of phenolic compounds, as demonstrated in an investigation by Gil and others (2000). But these antioxidant substances are also present in other parts of the fruit such as the skin or the seeds, according to Singh and others discovered in 2002.
The antioxidant properties present in pomegranate and its juice have other health benefits such as preventing cellular aging and strengthening the immune system.
The pomegranate provides 83 kcal per 100 grams. It is a very nutritious and healthy food.
Its richness in vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin K and other components, make this fruit a very nutritious food, with the energy necessary to keep the body strong.
Another benefit of the nutritional composition of the pomegranate is that it does not have saturated fats or bad fats.
It is also high in fiber, which makes this fruit very easy to digest..
The only negative aspect is its high sugar content, 13.67 grams, due to fructose.
In addition, the pomegranate has other benefits such as avoiding diseases such as anemia. This is due to its high content of iron and folic acid. The latter is also recommended for pregnant women, since a deficiency of this nutrient can cause malformations in the fetus..
In summary, the pomegranate is an essential fruit to keep the body strong, with energy and free of diseases.
The antioxidant agents present in fruits like the pomegranate have often been studied for their possible effects in preventing cancer, one of the deadliest diseases of our day..
A review carried out in 2017 by the Department of Dermatology and the Cancer Research Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham reflects the scientific advances that have been made regarding the pomegranate and its anticancer activity.
Pomegranate plays a very important role in the prevention of some types of cancer such as skin, breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer..
Its ability to combat this disease is due to the fact that it is a rich source of antioxidant substances such as anthocyanins, ellagitannins and tannins. Thanks to these, it serves to prevent tumors, among other beneficial activities, which have made this fruit a promising object of study for the treatment of cancer..
In this list you can find other anticancer foods.
In addition to its antioxidant properties, pomegranate also serves to stabilize blood pressure, being of great help for people suffering from hypertension.
There are many studies and clinical tests that show that pomegranate reduces both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
These effects are beneficial for those who suffer from hypertension, caused by excessively high pressure in the arteries.
A review by Sahekbar et al. (2017) analyzes all the clinical trials regarding pomegranate and its effect on blood pressure. Finally, it suggests that this food be included in diets to maintain a healthy heart.
Another beneficial aspect of pomegranate for heart health is that it is capable of reducing the levels of "bad cholesterol" (LDL cholesterol) in the blood..
A study carried out by the department of human nutrition of the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute of Tehran (Iran) in 2006 demonstrated the positive effects of pomegranate juice in type II diabetic patients, with hyperlipidemia, that is, with excessive levels of fats in the blood.
In this pilot test, 22 patients were administered pomegranate juice for eight weeks. After finishing this period, a significant reduction in cholesterol levels was found, both total and in low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol..
By reducing risk factors, such as excessively high blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels, you reduce the possibility of developing cardiovascular disease.
Among the diseases that the consumption of pomegranate prevents are carotid arteriopathy, a disease that occurs due to the narrowing of the carotid arteries. Aviram et al. (2008) showed in a study that the consumption of pomegranate juice for three years by patients with this condition reduces the thickness of the carotid arteries. This is due to its high content of antioxidants or polyphenols..
It also prevents diseases as common as coronary artery disease and arteriosclerosis.
Sumner et al. (2005) carried out an investigation with 45 patients affected by this disease, who were administered pomegranate juice for three months. Finally, the juice of this fruit was shown to improve stress levels in people suffering from coronary heart disease.
Several studies have shown the antimicrobial effects of pomegranate, especially effective with ailments that affect the oral cavity.
Among the fungi and bacteria, which can be treated with pomegranate extract, is the candida albicans, causing other infections such as vaginal yeast infection or vaginitis. A condition, which in addition to being annoying, is very common among women. Usually given when taking antibiotics or birth control pills.
The consumption of pomegranate is also very beneficial for the brain and the cells that make it up. It is considered a neuroprotective food, due to its high content of antioxidants.
In addition, the pomegranate may stimulate your memory. A 2014 study, carried out by Hajipour and others, showed how pomegranate consumption improved brain activity in laboratory rats.
In this experiment, pomegranate seeds were administered to animals suffering from cerebral ischemia. The seeds were highly effective in improving cognitive development and muscle coordination in rodents. This suggests that pomegranate, due to its high antioxidant content, may also be beneficial for human memory..
A 2014 study by Spilmont and others, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, demonstrated in female mice without ovaries, how pomegranate extract helped prevent bone loss.
This animal experiment suggests that the consumption of pomegranate, especially among post-menopausal women, can help to avoid losing bone density and prevent diseases associated with this loss, such as osteoporosis..
Some studies have shown with experiments on animals, the efficacy of pomegranate extract to combat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The pomegranate fruit is very useful for treating inflammation processes. Something that has been used for centuries by different cultures.
These anti-inflammatory effects are also of great importance, for the side effects associated with cancer, of which I spoke before.
On the other hand, a review published in 2013 in the journal Evidence Based Complement Alternative Medicine collects a series of studies that suggest that the consumption of pomegranate is beneficial in treating inflammatory processes associated with the gastrointestinal tract.
The collected evidence showed beneficial effects against ulcers or inflammation of the gut. However, most experiments have been carried out with laboratory animals, so clinical tests are still lacking to guarantee the effectiveness of this fruit to treat these ailments..
Pomegranate is very useful in treating oral infections. Prevents conditions such as periodontitis or gum inflammation (gingivitis).
An in vitro study of 2011 carried out by a group of professors from the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hamadan in Iran, analyzed the effects that an extract of the skin of pomegranate had in the treatment against some bacteria, which cause most of the mouth infections.
The microorganisms were introduced into test tubes and their effectiveness was demonstrated to kill some of them.
One of the reasons that consuming pomegranate is good for preventing skin cancer is because its antioxidant substances protect the skin from damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays. This is demonstrated by a study published in March 2009 in the journal Experimental Dermatology.
Other research includes the beneficial effects of pomegranate to combat skin conditions such as acne.
The nitrates present in pomegranate help blood flow and improve performance during physical activities..
In 2014, a group of researchers from the Department of Sports and Exercise Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a clinical trial with 19 professional athletes who were administered pomegranate extract. This dose was shown to increase runners' muscle power and have beneficial effects on their blood flow.
Pomegranate, being an antioxidant and improving blood flow, can be of great help for such uncomfortable problems as erectile dysfunction.
A team of researchers from The Male Clinic in Beverly Hills, California conducted a trial with 53 male patients with this problem. The consumption of pomegranate juice was shown to improve the sexual performance of patients, although future studies are necessary to obtain significant statistical data.
Values established based on 100 grams of pomegranate:
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