Another plaudit for Pomegranates

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It doesn't seem all that long ago that I was having a long lunch one Sunday with a delightful ex airline pilot who was extolling the benefits of Pomegranate juice. He was telling me that it had great benefits for older men faced with prostate dis-ease! Since then I have discovered that the experts also tell us that it helps with lowering blood pressure and is "anti-aging" (whatever that might mean!)

Well, now there's another benefit from this ruby juice that originally hails from the hills of Afghanistan.According to Batya Kristal, MD, MHA, from the Nephrology Department at the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, patients in her renal unit who were given the juice over a one year period experienced lower blood pressure, an improved lipid profile and required less anti-hypertensive medication!

Obviously with reports like this one does have to look behind the genuine enthusiasm of the researchers, and in this case the study was small and the results would only apply to patients with severe kidney problems. Also, Pomegranate juice is high in potassium, a salt that tends to accumulate in kidney disease and if not monitored closely could lead to serious consequences.

But it is reassuring to note that the juice did lower blood pressure in people who have naturally higher blood pressures because of their kidney problems. Also, when looking at how the "Lipid profile" was affected, it seems that not only did the bad Cholesterol go down, but the good HDL Cholesterol went up: and there are few safe things that I know of that can raise the good, cardio-protective HDL Cholesterol.

So as well as flossing my teeth for good gum hygiene, taking regular effective physical activity, eating lots of salmon, veggies and fruit, but avoiding animal fat whenever I can, I will be adding 100mls of Pomegranate juice to my daily regime: perhaps it will help wash down the handful of walnuts that I have with my brekky!!

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