Originally found in Asia and the Middle East, the pomegranate has been know for millennia by many ancient cultures for its remarkable health benefits – benefits that are only beginning to be rediscovered today by modern science. Now recognized as a super antioxidant, the pomegranate is gaining importance and popularity in the prevention and treatment of cancer and heart disease.

Antioxidants are naturally occurring plant substances that protect the body from free radicals – highly reactive atoms or molecules that interfere with normal cell functioning. Free radicals abound in modern society as pollutants, food additives, pesticides, herbicides, cigarette smoke, and so on. A serious health threat, free radicals can cause damage to cellular components including RNA and DNA, which in turn can contribute to the development of cancer. Free radicals can also alter oxidation processes of cholesterol in the arteries, leading to a type of arteriosclerosis known as "hardening of the arteries" or "plaque build-up" on arterial walls. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of heart disease and the number one killer in North America and other countries that have adopted the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Antioxidants were first linked to hardening of the arteries by Nobel Laureate, chemist Linus Pauling. He isolated the initial causes of the disease as a lack of a well-known antioxidant – vitamin C.

The first stirrings of interest in the pomegranate as a powerful antioxidant began in 2000 following the published results of a group of scientists in Israel demonstrating the effectiveness of pomegranates in treating atherosclerosis. The research was headed by Professor Michael Aviram, an internationally recognized authority on the effect of food on heart disease, and the first to prove the beneficial effects of red wine on cholesterol oxidation in humans.

"Antioxidants can protect us against the oxidative stress in our industrialized world, such as pollution, chemicals, viruses and bacteria, and consequently (can protect us against) cardiovascular diseases and cancer" said Professor Aviram. His research demonstrates that pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine, green tea, tomatoes, vitamin E and headline makers.
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have independently confirmed that pomegranate juice contains at least three major antioxidants, and three times the antioxidant power of red wine or green tea (using the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity test).

Prof. Aviram's research team tested pomegranate juice on both humans and laboratory mice genetically predisposed to developing heart disease. Findings showed that pomegranate juice decreased LDL (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL (good cholesterol) by 20% in humans, while oxidation of LDL, believed by many researchers to be a major cause of heart disease, was reduced by up to 90%.

This sounds very promising for prevention of heart disease, but what about already existing build-up of plaque that can cause heart attack or stroke? The pomegranate addresses this problem as well.

Research findings showed that consumption of pomegranate juice significantly reduces the size of arterial plaque in both human subjects and mice. Nineteen subjects aged 65 to 75 suffering severe carotid artery stenosis (70%-90% percent occlusion, or blockage) were given 50ml of concentrated, pasteurized pomegranate juice daily (the equivalent of 8.3 ounces of 100% pomegranate juice). After one year, mean carotid artery thickness was reduced by 35%. In the placebo group during the same period, mean artery thickness significantly increased. Arterial plaque in laboratory mice fed pomegranate juice was reduced by as much as 44%.

In research conducted over a three year period, Prof. Aviram's research team further showed that pomegranate juice significantly lowers systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients in just two weeks. Patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease showed great improvement in many important physiological measurements and pathological signs compared to the control group. The research team concluded that due to its antioxidant properties, pomegranate juice can offer wide protection against cardiovascular disease.

Recent scientific research indicates that the pomegranate may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer including breast cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Research using both mouse mammary organ culture and human breast cancer cells in vitro has demonstrated the anticancer effects of pomegranate extracts.

Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin have shown that a topically-applied pomegranate fruit extract can block skin tumor formation in mice. Another study demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity of pomegranate-derived materials against human prostate cancer. Yet another study shows that extracts of pomegranate can promote differentiation, that is, the ability of cancer cells to revert to normal cell functioning.

Pomegranates are the richest source of a natural substance called ellagic acid. According to master herbalist and certified nutritionist, Donald Yance in his book Herbal Medicine, Healing & Cancer, ellagic acid "inhibits cancer formation and is believed to inhibit cancer mutation… Ellagic acid is particularly effective in the inhibition of lung cancer caused by tobacco."

The pomegranate also contains anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins (flavonoids), substances that have been shown in animal and test tube experiments to reduce tumor angiogenesis.

Further Health Benefits of the Pomegranate

In light of increased awareness of the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and strokes from use of artificial hormone replacement therapies, the pomegranate has been gaining popularity for treatment of menopausal symptoms. The pomegranate contains estrone, a natural estrogen that is also produced by the human body. According to laboratory studies using mice, pomegranate extract improved menopausal symptoms of depression and bone loss.

The pomegranate has also been shown to possess anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. The bark of the pomegranate tree and root have been used in traditional medicine to eliminate tapeworms.

ArilSystem™ is the vehicle for the delivery of pomegranate health benefits to 21st century society, with the aim of making it readily available to all mankind. We aim to achieve this through the efficient and cost effective extraction of the pomegranate's treasures, one precious seed at a time.