Pomegranate extract may inhibit the chronic inflammation linked with a variety of health problems such as heart disease and arthritis, according to a study. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, have published the study’s findings in the Journal of Inflammation.
The researchers said: “Consumption of pomegranate fruit extract may be of value in inhibiting inflammatory stimuli-induced cartilage breakdown and production of inflammatory mediators in arthritis.”
Pomegranate is known to be high in antioxidants, including punicalagins and punicalins, and antioxidants are known to help reduce inflammation in the body.
While short-term inflammation is often a normal and healthy immune response, chronic inflammation is associated with a variety of health problems including arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and dementia. It is also associated with a variety of effects of aging, such as cognitive decline.
Researchers tested the effect of pomegranate on inflammation by feeding a pomegranate extract to four rabbits and then testing their blood for two cyclooxygenase enzymes that function as inflammation markers - COX-1 and COX-2. The levels of these enzymes were then compared to the levels in two rabbits that had only been dosed with water.
The amount of pomegranate extract used in the study was equivalent to 175ml of pomegranate juice.
The researchers found that the activity of both inflammation markers in the rabbits given pomegranate extract was significantly reduced compared to the control rabbits: by seven percent for COX-1 and 26 percent for COX-2.
