The fruit pomegranate derived from the tree Punica
granatum is an edible fruit cultivated in Mediterranean
countries, Afghanistan, India, China, Russia, and some part
of the United states. The pomegranate tree typically grows
12 to 16 feet, has many spiny branches and can be extremely
long lived, as evidenced by Versailles, France, known to be
over 200 years old. The fruit contains many seeds (arils)
separated by white membranous pericarp, and each is
surrounded by small amount of tart, red juice.
Current research seems to indicate the most therapeutically
beneficial pomegranate constituents are ellagic acid
ellagitannins (including punicalagins), punic acid
flavonoidds, anthocyanidins, anthocyanins, and estrogenic
flavonols and flavones.
| Pomegranate
juice |
Anthocyanins (1); glucose,
ascorbic acid (2); ellagic acid, gallic acid,
caffeic acid (3); catechin, EGCG (4); quercitin,
rutin (5); numerous minerals, particularly iron (6);
amino acids (7) |
| Pomegranate
seed oil |
95-percent punicic acid (8); other constituents,
including ellagic acid (9); other fatty acids (11);
sterols |
Although pomegranate's wide-ranging therapeutic benefits may
be attributable to several mechanisms, most research has
focused on its antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and
anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidant
Several studies demonstrated the antioxidant properties of
pomegranate. One study it has - 3 times the
antioxidant capacity of either wine or green tea(1). Another
study suggested Among the food materials chosen,
pomegranate peel gave the maximum antioxidant activity due
to the presence of its high polyphenolic content. At a
concentration of 60 ppm, pomegranate peel powder reduced
lipid peroxidation by 65% in an in vitro assay (2).
A more recent study Measured the antioxidant activity using
biologically relevant assays. The cellular antioxidant
activity (CAA) assay quantifies antioxidant activity in cell
culture and was developed to meet the need for a more
biologically representative method than the popular
chemistry antioxidant capacity measures. The objective of
the study was to determine the cellular antioxidant
activity, total phenolic contents, and oxygen radical
absorbance capacity (ORAC) values of 25 fruits commonly
consumed in the United States. Pomegranate and berries (wild
blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry) had the
highest CAA values, whereas banana and melons had the
lowest. Apples were found to be the largest contributors of
fruit phenolics to the American diet, and apple and
strawberries were the biggest suppliers of cellular
antioxidant activity (3).
Finally, in February 2008, a team of scientists at UCLA made
an exhaustive study on the antioxidant properties of
pomegranate. Here is the abstract of this study.
A number of different beverage products
claim to have antioxidant potency due to their perceived
high content of polyphenols. Basic and applied research
indicates that pomegranate juice (PJ), produced from the
Wonderful variety of Punica granatum fruits, has strong
antioxidant activity and related health benefits.
Although
consumers are familiar with the concept of free radicals and
antioxidants, they are often misled by claims of superior
antioxidant activity of different beverages, which are
usually based only on testing of a limited spectrum of
antioxidant activities. There is no available direct
comparison of Pomegranate juice's antioxidant activity to those of other
widely available polyphenol-rich beverage products using a
comprehensive variety of antioxidant tests.
The present
study applied (1) four tests of antioxidant potency [Trolox
equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total oxygen radical
absorbance capacity (ORAC), free radical scavenging capacity
by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing
antioxidant power (FRAP)]; (2) a test of antioxidant
functionality, that is, inhibition of low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation by peroxides and malondialdehyde
methods; and (3) evaluation of the total polyphenol content
[by gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)] of polyphenol-rich
beverages in the marketplace.
The
beverages included several different brands as follows:
apple juice, açaí juice, black cherry juice, blueberry juice, cranberry
juice, Concord grape juice, orange juice, red
wines, iced tea beverages [black tea, green tea, white tea], and a major Pomegranate juice available in the U.S.
market. An overall antioxidant potency composite index was
calculated by assigning each test equal weight. Pomegranete
juice had the
greatest antioxidant potency composite index among the
beverages tested and was at least 20% greater than any of
the other beverages tested.
Antioxidant potency, ability to
inhibit LDL oxidation, and total polyphenol content were
consistent in classifying the antioxidant capacity of the
polyphenol-rich beverages in the following order: Pomegranate
juice>red
wine>Concord grape juice>blueberry juice>black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice>orange juice, iced tea
beverages, apple juice. Although in vitro antioxidant
potency does not prove in vivo biological activity, there is
also consistent clinical evidence of antioxidant potency for
the most potent beverages including both Pomegranate juice and red wine.
Anti-inflammatory
Section to be added
Clinical trials
Used for a long time in several system of medicine for
various ailments, pomegranate is the subject of intensive
studies. The table below list current studies as published
in clinicaltrial.gov.
| NCT ID |
Condition |
Sponsor |
Estimated
enrollment |
Start date |
End date |
Status |
| NCT00413530 |
Prostate Cancer |
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center |
200 |
2006/12 |
|
recruiting |
| NCT00719030 |
Prostate Cancer |
University of California, LA |
35 |
2008/06 |
|
recruiting |
| NCT00668954 |
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus |
University of Colorado at
Denver and Health Sciences Center; POM Wonderful LLC |
|
|
|
|
| NCT00732043 |
Prostate Cancer |
Radiant Research;
Roll International Corporation |
200 |
2007/12 |
2015/01 |
recruiting |
| NCT00655031 |
Common Cold |
POM Wonderful LLC |
150 |
2008/04 |
2008/07 |
completed |
| NCT00617318 |
Influenza;Common Cold;
Cough; Headache; Fever |
Texas Heart Institute;
POM Wonderful LLC |
461 |
2007/01 |
2007/06 |
completed |
| NCT00731848 |
Prostate Cancer |
Radiant Research;
Roll International Corporation |
30 |
2008/02 |
2015/06 |
recruiting |
| NCT00381108 |
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia |
University of California, Irvine; Jarrow Pharmaceuticals |
20 |
2005/09 |
2009/06 |
recruiting |
| NCT00336934 |
Prostate Cancer |
Roll International Corporation;
National Cancer Institute (NCI) |
180 |
2005/11 |
|
recruiting |
| NCT00060086 |
Prostate Cancer |
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center;
National Cancer Institute(NCI) |
|
2003/03 |
|
active not recruiting |
| NCT00727519 |
End Stage Renal Disease;
Hemodialysis |
Western Galilee Hospital-Nahariya |
|
|
|
not yet recruiting |
| NCT00428532 |
Diabetes Mellitus;
Atherosclerosis |
HaEmek Medical Center, Israel |
10 |
2007/03 |
2007/08 |
recruiting |
| NCT00728299 |
Coronary Artery Disease |
Radiant Research;
Roll International Corporation |
384 |
2003/09 |
2005/09 |
completed |
| NCT00682149 |
Type 2 Diabetes |
Yeditepe University Hospital |
120 |
2008/05 |
2008/10 |
recruiting |
| NCT00455416 |
Follicular Lymphoma |
RikshospitaletRadiumhospitalet HF;
University of Oslo |
45 |
2007/04 |
2009/12 |
recruiting |
| NCT00433797 |
Prostate Cancer |
University of Oslo;
RikshospitaletRadiumhospitalet HF;
Norwegian Cancer Society;
The Research Council of Norway |
102 |
2007/06 |
2009/03 |
recruiting |
| NCT00470808 |
Atherosclerosis |
HaEmek Medical Center, Israel |
|
2007/05 |
2007/08 |
not yet recruiting |
Among all these studies the one that attracted my attention
is the study I highlighted. This study is observing the synergistic
effect of several phytochemicals and fatty acids:
-
Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid))
-
Selenium (L-Selenomethionine),
-
Garlic extract (Allicin)
- Pomegranate juice (ellagic
acid)
-
Grape juice (resveratrol, quercetin)
-
Green Tea (Epigallocathechin gallate)
The primary outcome of the study is to measure the
proliferation rate in tumour cells. The secondary outcome is
measure the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines and tumour
immune cell infiltrate.
references
(1) Gil MI & al. Antioxidant activity of pomegranate
juice and its relationship with phenolic composition and
processing. J. Agric. Food Chem., 48
(10), 4581-4589. Sept. 2000.
(2) Kelawala NS,Ananthanarayan L. Antioxidant activity of
selected foodstuffs.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2004 Sep;55(6):511-6.
(3) Wolfe & al. Cellular antioxidant activity of common
fruits. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 24;56(18):8418-26.
