Here’s the truth:  I love to eat, and the longer it takes for me to eat something, the better.  And as anyone who has spent time plucking out the dozens of juicy seeds from the pomegranate’s delectable interior will tell you, a pomegranate takes time to eat.  In short, its an endeavor.

But the pomegranate is more than just a fun fruit that takes a bit to eat—it’s a potential life saver.  That may sound like an overstatement, but it’s true.  According to several studies, the arils (i.e. the seeds) from pomegranates are an effective deterrent to prostate cancer, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in America today.

The healing powers of fruits, like pomegranates, reside in antioxidants.  As you may know, antioxidants help prevent the spread of free radicals in the body.  Though the formation of free radicals in the body is a natural process—many free radicals are necessary to live and breathe—the overabundance of free radicals in the body can lead to premature aging and may be involved in the development of heart disease, various cancers, Parkinson’s disease and a number of other health-related issues.  Antioxidants stem free radicals from unleashing their (often) destructive side effects.

The most recent evidence comes from a study conducted by a team of researchers from UCLA and published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.  Using rats with prostate cancer as their specimens, the researchers found that the antioxidants in pomegranates accumulated in their prostates.  These antioxidants are called ellagitannins.  After observing two groups of rats—one with prostate cancer and ellagitannins in their prostates, the other group grafted with prostate cancer cells and without ellagitannins in their prostates—they found that the rats that consumed pomegranates exhibited a slow tumor growth rate in comparison to those rats that did not consume pomegranates.  This finding only substantiated what had already been determined by a number of studies—that pomegranates are an effective prevention to cancer cell growth.

But as promising a sign as this and many other studies are in treating cancer, researchers say it’s too early to presume pomegranates will be used as an actual medical treatment for cancer.  But if the body of evidence is any indication of what lies ahead, pomegranates may be the missing ingredient.

In the meantime, the key is to try and implement what’s likely been a missing ingredient into your diet.  One simple, easy and quick way is by using the juicer.  Have you tried pomegranate juice?  It’s a delicious alternative to some of the more traditional fruit juices you see in the store, many of which are loaded with added sugar.  Studies indicate that pomegranate juice helps slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, treats urinary tract infections and shields the nervous system from degeneration.

There are also lots of recipes that are using pomegranates as the main ingredient.  Any “pomegranate recipes” search online will yield a wealth of pomegranate recipes for main dishes, salads, and soups. 

The time has come to branch out and find out why pomegranates are a fantastically fun fruit for your taste buds as well as your well-being.

Atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is the term used to describe arteries with thick and stiff walls. An estimated 80 percent of all deaths of patients with diabetes are linked to atherosclerosis.

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology conducted a study which involved examining the effects of pomegranate juice on the development of atherosclerosis when consumed daily by 20 participants.

Professor Michael Aviram of the Technion Faculty of Medicine and his team found that people with diabetes experienced a lower risk of developing atherosclerosis when drinking 6 ounces of pomegranate juice every day for 90 days. These findings were linked to the team’s conclusion that the juice inhibited a process that can trigger the development of atherosclerosis where the oxidized “bad” LDL cholesterol is up taken by immune cells.

The researchers also noted that while pomegranate juice contains sugars which can increase blood sugar and worsen diabetes, the sugars found in pomegranate juice did not appear to adversely affect the patients.

“In most juices, sugars are present in free — and harmful — forms,” said Aviram. “In pomegranate juice, however, the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis.”

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

What else can be said folks? I’ve been a fan of pomegranate juice for some time now.

Aside from these findings, this miracle juice with “good” sugars juice has also been shown in earlier studies to be effective at reducing the risk of prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease as well as lowering cholesterol.