Red jewel of paradise!

health

This week You! takes a look at the health benefits of pomegranates...

Don’t you just love the sweetness and a touch of tanginess as soon as you put the tiny ruby seeds in your mouth? Pomegranate is a fruit that surely tantalizes your taste buds. It’s not only pomegranate’s unique combination of crunchiness and juiciness but also its nutritional value that makes them so tempting and irresistible. With its prominent crown and thick skin, a pomegranate is very rich in nutrients. It is also known as red jewel of paradise and seeded apple. Did you know that this nutrient rich fruit has been revered as a symbol of health, fertility and eternal life? Well, that’s not all. Pomegranate fruit is one of the most popular fruit with unique flavour and health promoting characteristics.

Benefits of pomegranates:

Pomegranates are loaded with iron, vitamin C, potassium, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin. It is an also good source of many vital B-complex groups of vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), folates, pyridoxine and vitamin K, and minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese. The fruit is moderate in calories; 100 g provides 83 calories, slightly more than that in the apples. Due to its low calorie count nutritionists suggest weight watchers to incorporate pomegranates in their daily diet. Also, it is a good source of soluble and insoluble dietary fibres, which aid in smooth digestion and bowel movements. It is a natural aphrodisiac fruit which stimulates love emotion and sexual desire.

Read on to find out more about the various health benefits that pomegranates have to offer...

Say no to wrinkles:

Ever wondered why we grow old and our skin develops wrinkles and other signs of ageing? Well, it is because of free radical damage that affects your cells. Polyphenolic compounds in pomegranates are powerful antioxidants that can delay the process of ageing. Therefore, eating pomegranate keeps your skin glowing and radiant for a long time.

Bye bye stress:

Apart from reducing the body’s internal oxidative stress, pomegranates also help lower psychological stress. According to a study conducted, people who drank pomegranate juice had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is increased under stressful situations. 

Helps in digestion:

To keep your digestive system healthy, you need to include fibre-rich sources in your diet. However, our busy lifestyle and personal liking for junk food have deprived us of the goodness of fibre in fruits and vegetables. Eating a pomegranate every day is a good way to add fibre to your daily diet. One pomegranate can fulfil about 45 per cent of your daily recommended intake of fibre, which is about 20 to 35g.

Boosts immunity:

Being rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, pomegranates are extremely healthy for those suffering from immune-related disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. They are also rich in vitamin C, which boosts antibody production and development of immunity. Pomegranates can thus help you maintain a healthy immune system.

Prevents heart disease:

Pomegranates are loaded with polyphenols that have powerful antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent free radical damage of the walls of arteries, thus preventing heart disease. They also prevent oxidation of cholesterol, which causes plaque formation and development of coronary artery disease.

Lowers cholesterol levels:

A recent study suggests that drinking as little as one-quarter cup of pomegranate juice daily may improve cardiovascular health by significantly reducing oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Due to its antioxidant power; pomegranate juice has two to three times the antioxidant capacity of equal amounts of green tea.

High blood pressure no more:

The fruit helps lower blood pressure by preventing the activity of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme. Punicic acid is one of the main constituents of pomegranates that help lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.

May help prevent cancer:

From prostate cancer to breast cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer, pomegranates can help prevent and treat several forms of cancer. This property of the delicious fruit is also attributed to the presence of polyphenol antioxidants in them. Studies have shown that pomegranate juice can inhibit the growth of tumour cells and induce natural death in them. Certain compounds in pomegranates have an anti-inflammatory ability that also contributes to its anti-cancer property.

Keeps Alzheimer’s at bay:

Researchers suggest that pomegranates play an important role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. A study shows that pomegranate juice reduces the deposition and accumulation of amyloid in the hippocampus region of the brain by 50 per cent.