Pomegranate juice shows stunning results in reducing heart disease risk factors, even for diabetics

A new Israeli study has found that pomegranate juice could be a heart-healthy drink for diabetics, despite the fruit's high sugar concentration.

The researchers' small human trial -- published in the August issue of the journal Atherosclerosis -- examined 10 diabetics and 10 healthy control subjects for three months, during which the diabetics were administered fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice from handpicked fruit.

At the study's end, the researchers found that the juice did not affect blood sugar levels, cholesterol or triglycerides, but did significantly reduce serum lipid peroxide levels by 56 percent and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels by 28 percent. TBARS is a measure of the oxidation levels of LDL cholesterol, which can eventually lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

The study's authors concluded that "pomegranate juice consumption by diabetic patients did not worsen the diabetic parameters, but rather resulted in anti-oxidative effects on serum and macrophages, which could contribute to attenuation of atherosclerosis development in these patients."

Lead researcher Professor Michael Aviram says he was surprised to find that the sugars contained in pomegranate juice did not worsen diabetes parameters, such as blood sugar, as other fruit sugars do.

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

"What this study clearly demonstrates is that not all sugars have the same effect on the body, as is often claimed by the processed food industry," said Mike Adams, author of How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days. "Natural fruit sugars are far healthier than processed, refined sugars, even if they both have the same statistics on the nutrition facts label," he said. "And pomegranate juice is emerging as a natural medicine with remarkable abilities. If it were a drug instead of a fruit, drug companies would be announcing a breakthrough discovery."

Recent studies on pomegranate juice's positive effects on heart health, prostate cancer and arthritis have led to a boom in retail sales of the juice, which has seen a 300 percent sales increase in the UK since the start of 2005.