Pomegranates and Diabetes

Hndful of pomegranate seeds shaped into a heart Photo Credit olgaman/iStock/Getty Images
The seed and flower of the pomegranate fruit may possess properties capable of lowering blood sugar, potentially benefiting patients with hyperglycemia and diabetes. Doctors from India to Africa are studying pomegranate seeds, flowers and their extracts and compounds for hypoglycemic, or blood sugar lowering, properties, and to identify their mechanisms. For example, a 2007 "Journal of Medicinal Food" report acknowledges the hypoglycemic activity of pomegranate seeds, flowers and juice and identifies three antioxidant acids as among their potentially anti-diabetic constituents. If you have concerns about your blood sugar, consult with your doctor and only use pomegranate-based therapies with her approval.

Pomegranate Fruit & Juice

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the pomegranate fuit grows on the Punica granatum tree native to Iran and now cultivated in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean. Used for millennia in folk medicine, it has since demonstrated antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral properties in laboratory tests, although human trials have been neither as abundant nor conclusive. There is no standard dosage of pomegranate for medical purposes, although UMM's Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D., reports that drinking 8-12 ounces per day is considered safe. Ehrlich warns, however, that people with diabetes should not drink pomegranate juice or any fruit juice without their doctor's prior approval.

Does Pomegranate Interact With Statins? Does Pomegranate Interact With Statins? Pomegranate Vinegar Health Benefits Pomegranate Vinegar Health Benefits Does Pomegranate Juice Interfere With Prescription Drugs? Does Pomegranate Juice Interfere With Prescription Drugs? Pomegranate Juice & High Blood Pressure Pomegranate Juice & High Blood Pressure Are Pomegranates Good for Children? Are Pomegranates Good for Children? What Are the Health Benefits of Taking Pomegranate Supplements? What Are the Health Benefits of Taking Pomegranate Supplements? The Effects of Pomegranate Supplements on Diabetics The Effects of Pomegranate Supplements on Diabetics Does Pomegranate Juice Clean Your Arteries? Does Pomegranate Juice Clean Your Arteries? Pomegranate & Cancer Pomegranate & Cancer Kidney Function & Pomegranate Juice Kidney Function & Pomegranate Juice What Is the Pomegranate Fruit Good For? What Is the Pomegranate Fruit Good For? The Benefits of Pomegranate Juice Dried Powder The Benefits of Pomegranate Juice Dried Powder POM Wonderful Nutritional Facts POM Wonderful Nutritional Facts Juices That Are Good for Type 2 Diabetics Juices That Are Good for Type 2 Diabetics Methi Seeds and Diabetes Methi Seeds and Diabetes Can You Lower Cholesterol With Pomegranate Juice? Can You Lower Cholesterol With Pomegranate Juice?

Pomegranate Seed

A 2007 study in the "African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines" on the blood sugar-lowering effects in diabetic rats of several herbal compounds, including pomegranate seeds, found no significant difference in the fasting blood-glucose levels of the subjects fed pomegranate seeds from the control group. Study author Gholamali Jelodar and colleagues did, however, detect a minor, albeit negligible, effect on fasting blood-glucose levels from pomegranate seeds.\

How to prevent diabetes

Jelodar and colleagues also pointed to a 2001 study published in "Phytotherapy Research" that found that the extract of pomegranate seeds, as distinct from direct consumption of the seeds themselves, did display significant hypoglycemic effects in diabetic rats, lowering their blood sugar by about half. Jelodar and colleagues explain this apparent discrepancy between pomegranate seeds and their extract as possibly due to a compound in pomegranate seeds with hypoglycemic effects that, in extract form, was more concentrated and therefore more effective in lowering blood sugar than the seed form.

Pomegranate Flower

According to a 2008 "Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism" review, practitioners of the two medical sciences of India, Ayurveda and Unani, prescribe pomegranate flower to treat diabetes. The review's authors suggest that certain compounds in pomegranate flower called PPARs may be responsible for this effect, noting that PPARs are involved in regulating blood sugar balance and that synthetic PPARs are commonly used to treat hyperglycemia, among other metabolic disorders.

Why diabetics should drink pomegranate juice

I have more great news on pomegranate products. In my last health alert, I showed you how pomegranate extract can protect your skin from damage the sun causes. Now there’s news that pomegranates can protect diabetics from vascular disease. This is important because diabetics are at greater risk of vascular disease.

In this study, researchers wanted to evaluate the effects of concentrated pomegranate juice or extracts on vascular disease markers. They followed 30 diabetics. Here’s what they found:

Pomegranate products had a marked beneficial effect on their lipids. And, since HDL cholesterol protects you from oxidative damage, their oxidative stress dropped by 35%! Why would pomegranate help? It has an enzyme called PON1. PON1 helps HDL help you. Pomegranate increased the enzyme’s activity by 30%.

Finally, serum thiol levels increased 25%. Thiol includes the all-important glutathione molecule. Higher glutathione levels will protect you from heavy metals, chemicals, and even infectious disease, even viruses.

The study’s conclusion? Pomegranate products can slow atherosclerosis in diabetics.

Pomegranate products are widely available online and in most grocery stores. If you have diabetes, you might consider pomegranate extract or juice. It falls into the category of polyphenol source superfoods. These also include blueberries, cranberries, certain seaweeds (the source of Alginol), green tea, and more. And, you don’t have to be diabetic to get the benefits.

I have no doubt that pomegranates, if studied, would trump anything the Pharma snake oil peddlers have for vascular disease. These powerful phytochemicals and polyphenols, are what your body is looking for to restore healthy functions. And, you can’t beat the price in comparison to chemical drugs!