Italian and American scientists have found that pomegranate juice helped keep fatty deposits from collecting on artery walls in mice, and kept human heart cells healthier.
Previous studies have suggested the antioxidants found in pomegranate juice might reduce plaque buildup on artery walls and reduce oxidative stress on endothelial cells, the cells that line blood vessels. These cells produce nitric oxide, a substance that helps the blood vessels relax.
The researchers found that heart cells treated with pomegranate juice had a 50 per cent increase in nitric oxide production, and that mice given pomegranate juice reduced the rate of plaque build-up by about 30 per cent. Researchers are unsure of the exact reason why pomegranate juice appears to protect artery walls from fatty deposits, but they believe the increased nitric oxide production may play a role, and that polyphenols may directly protect the arteries by reducing oxidative stress.
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