Health benefits of Pomegranates
Pomegranates are considered as one of the best nutritious fruits and are very much liked by health conscious people. It is also a fantastic beautification product. The botanical name of pomegranate is Punica granatum. Pomegranates are a rich source of Vitamin C, folic acid and phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, pelargonidins, cyanidin and ellagic acid. The various health benefits of pomegranates are discussed below:
- Pomegranate is well known for its medicinal properties and is used in the treatment of diarrhea and some fevers. The ellagic acid, a phytochemical found in pomegranate, is anticarcinogenic and antifibrosis in nature and hence is used in the treatment of cancer and heart diseases.
- Vitamin C and phytochemicals act as the major source of antioxidants. These retard the formation of free radicals in the body thus preventing the occurrence of Cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and aging.
- The phytochemicals present in pomegranate also retard the synthesis of melanin pigments formed as a result of the action of ultraviolet radiation on the skin. Hence it is also used a skin whitener and sun-burn block agent.
- Pomegranate is a recommended fruit in the diet of pregnant women because of its ability in protecting the fetus from brain injuries. Moreover the consumption of pomegranate juice also strengthens the uterus.
- Pomegranate juice is found to be an effective prostrate cancer preventive agent by recent studies conducted by the American Urological Association (AUA) held in Linthicum
- Punicalagin is an antioxidant found in pomegranate that acts as an active principle in reducing the risk of arthritis by delaying the process of cartilage loss.
- Pomegranate also helps in increasing the fertility rate in men by boosting sperm quality and motility.
- Pomegranates are found to play an important role in diabetes. Glycaemic index is defined as the rate by which a food that is consumed gets absorbed into the blood stream. This index is of great importance in diabetic patients since the foods of high glycaemic index would increase the blood sugar level. Pomegranates when consumed along with the seeds had lower glycaemic index when compared to the pomegranate juice. Thus consuming pomegranate fruit along with seeds are highly recommended for diabetics.
- Studies have proved that the antioxidant content of pomegranates is much more than that of red wine. Thus pomegranates could be used as an alternative of red wine for its antioxidant properties. This property of the fruit makes it an outstanding fruit in the prevention against various diseases like cancer, heart disease, aging, infertility and so on.
Scientists are currently focused on the preventive effect of the fruit against AIDS. One of the recent studies have proved the virus binding effect of the fruit and thus preventing infections. Soon we will come across the effect of pomegranate as a preventive agent against AIDS.
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