The pomegranate is one of the oldest and most evocative fruits we know. The fruit is exceptionally rich in antioxidants, including ellagic acid, and powerfully protects the body against arteriosclerosis. What is special about pomegranate is that it can significantly inhibit existing atherosclerosis and has beneficial effects on coronary artery disease and arterial stenosis.
History of the pomegranate
The pomegranate (Punica granatum) originates from ancient Persia and thrives best in a climate with hot, dry summers and cool winters. The pomegranate tree is widely cultivated in countries such as Iran, India, Japan, Spain, California and Israel. The name pomegranate refers to the bursting of the fruit when it falls from the tree overripe, causing the seeds to fly in all directions. The fresh sweet and sour fruit can be scooped out and is ideal for making juice, jam, grenadine (concentrated juice, originally also made from kernels) and extracts (from juice, seeds and the leathery peel). In India and Pakistan the roasted seeds are used as a spice. The pomegranate is considered a sacred fruit in several major world religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism; The fruit also appears in various Greek and Persian myths. The fruit symbolizes, among other things, regeneration, life, death and rebirth, immortality, invincibility, prosperity, abundance and fertility. In China, the image of a ripe open pomegranate is a popular wedding gift; In Greece it is customary to open a pomegranate during a wedding as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. The pomegranate has traditionally been praised for its medicinal qualities and has been the subject of frequent scientific research in recent years, especially because of its very high antioxidant content. Especially in the United States, the pomegranate is currently popular as a super food for a healthy and long life.
Antioxidant effect of pomegranate
The juice of the pomegranate has a high content (0.2-1%) of polyphenols with antioxidant activity, in particular anthocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin and pelargonidin glycosides), ellagitannins, ellagic acid, gallotannins, gallic acid and catechins. The oil-rich seeds contain estrone and phytoestrogens (genistein, daidzein, coumestrol), phytosterols (betasitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol) and the unique punicic acid, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. Besides raspberry and strawberry, the pomegranate is the food with the highest concentration of ellagic acid and ellagitannins; ellagintannins are mainly punicalagin isomers, which decompose into glucose and ellagic acid after hydrolysis.
Ellagitannins have, among other things, powerful antioxidative, liver protective and anticarcinogenic activity; After ingestion, they are partly converted by intestinal bacteria into urolithins and other metabolites with lower antioxidant activity. It has recently been established that urolithins have a dose-dependent, mild (phyto)estrogenic effect. There is strong synergy between the different polyphenols in pomegranate (juice). Pomegranate juice has three times higher antioxidant activity in vitro than red wine and green tea; the antioxidant content is higher when the whole fruit – including the very antioxidant-rich, astringent husk (which can contain as much as 28% tannins) – is used to make pomegranate juice.
Advice to use pomegranate
Pomegranate juice, like grapefruit juice, can interfere with the breakdown of medications; Pomegranate juice probably inhibits CYP3A enzymes in the intestinal wall. Some people are allergic to pomegranate, especially if they are allergic to pollen (oral allergy syndrome), peach or tree nuts. The ingredients in pomegranate reinforce each other’s effect; it is probably best to use pomegranate juice or concentrates that are not standardized to one ingredient such as ellagic acid.
