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Pomegranates are tasty germ-fighters

February 5, 2006 12:50 am

IT'S THE TAIL END of the pomegranate season, and I'm always happy when I find one of the leathery fruits, not just for their taste but for their incredible health benefits.

I remember the first time a childhood friend shared a pomegranate with me. I was astounded that the dull red skin enclosed such beautiful contents--840 glistening seeds nestled like pea-sized rubies inside the bitter white membrane.

She showed me how to scoop them out and eat the little rubies, which are actually little sacs of juice surrounding the seeds. They taste at once astringent, tangy and sweet.

I didn't learn until I was an adult that I had loved pomegranates throughout my childhood in a different form: grenadine, a sweetened syrup made from the fruits. At many weddings, I remember feeling happily grown-up because I was allowed to order a mixed drink called a Shirley Temple, which I now know is concocted of 7-Up and grenadine.

Pomegranates have always been a good source of vitamin C and potassium, and now researchers are studying the antioxidants in pomegranate fruit for their ability to reduce blood pressure, fight germs and maybe even reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Fresh pomegranates are usually available only in late fall and early winter, but in the last two years, some 7-Elevens and grocery stores have been selling pricey pomegranate juice year-round. POM Wonderful is a widely available brand.

Pomegranate fruits originated in the Middle East. Some say the pomegranate, not the apple, may have been the original forbidden fruit in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim scriptures.

The ancient Egyptians placed pomegranates in tombs, the ancient Greeks believed pomegranates were aphrodisiacs, and many cultures link pomegranates with fertility.

In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," a nightingale perched in a pomegranate tree sings to the star-crossed lovers, according to POM Wonderful.

Nowadays, farmers cultivate pomegranates in Asia, South America and California, too. I have seen gardeners coax fruit from dwarf pomegranate trees growing as far north as the National Arboretum in Washington.

Famous cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish released a study last year showing that drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice per day increased blood flow to the heart by 17 percent in people with heart disease.

Pomegranate juice helped reverse thickened arteries and high blood pressure in a very small Israeli study. Ten people with partially blocked carotid arteries drank pomegranate juice for one to three years. In people who did not drink the juice, the wall of the blood vessel thickened by 9 percent, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke, while those drinking the juice saw protective decreases of up to 30 percent.

Pomegranate juice drinkers also saw blood pressure drops of 21 percent, possibly because the juice decreased levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme, nicknamed ACE. Many popular blood pressure drugs work the same way and are known as ACE inhibitors.

Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice a day slowed markers of prostate cancer in the blood, according to scientists at the University of California-Los Angeles. It was not a cure for the disease or a substitute for medical treatments.

Pomegranate juice combined with antibiotics killed some germs that normally resisted the antibiotics, according to Canadian researchers.

Used as a mouthwash, a combination of extracts of pomegranate and an Asian herb called gotu kola helps fight gum disease, according to Thai dentists.

A gel made from pomegranate extract also kills yeast infections of the mouth, called thrush, in people with dentures, Brazilian dentists say. It compared well to miconazole, a standard medicine.

Some research on pomegranate juice has been done in animals, but not yet in human beings. Boston University researchers say pomegranate juice reduces erectile dysfunction in rabbits. No word if this works in people.

University of Washington at Seattle researchers fed pomegranate juice to pregnant mice and found that the baby mice were less vulnerable to brain damage from lack of oxygen, something that can occur in human babies during difficult deliveries.

To my knowledge, no studies have been done in humans to see if eating pomegranates during pregnancy can protect babies at delivery, but Iranian women traditionally eat pomegranates during pregnancy.

Israeli scientists say feeding pomegranate juice to menopausal mice improves their bone densities, but again this is untested in humans.

Some scientists aren't interesting in drinking the juice, but spreading it on the skin. Preliminary research shows that pomegranate juice can kill HIV and herpes viruses in test tubes, so they're trying to figure out a practical way to use it. (Word to the wise: Pomegranate juice is not a replacement for safe sex.)

While pomegranates don't replace medical care for heart disease, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, infections, gum disease and the like, the research is intriguing.

I think it's worth buying pomegranates in season and occasionally splurging on small amounts of the juice.

JENNIFER MOTL, a registered dietitian, welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.