How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate: the juice slightly lowers blood pressure (around −5 mmHg systolic in meta-analysis). Nothing on cholesterol, and recovery effects vary from one trial to another.
Benefits
- Blood pressure: across 8 randomized trials, pomegranate juice lowers systolic by 4.96 mmHg and diastolic by 2.01 mmHg, regardless of duration.
- In healthy adults: 330 mL of juice per day for 4 weeks lowered pressure by 3.14 mmHg (systolic) and 2.33 mmHg (diastolic) in 51 people aged 30 to 50.
- Postprandial glycemia: drunk with bread, the juice reduced the blood sugar rise by 33.1% and its peak by 25.4% in healthy volunteers; the extract in capsules did not.
- Strength recovery: in 17 trained men, the juice better preserved arm strength and reduced their muscle soreness at 48 and 72 hours after eccentric exercise.
- Weightlifting: in 9 elite weightlifters, the juice improved performance by 8.30% and lowered perceived exertion by 4.37%, with creatine kinase returning to normal faster within 48 hours.
- Endurance: in 26 amateur cyclists, 15 days of extract extended time to exhaustion and delayed the second ventilatory threshold compared to placebo.
- Inflammation: a meta-analysis of 16 trials (572 people) finds lower high-sensitivity CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α with pomegranate.
- Memory: in 261 adults aged 50 to 75, 236.5 mL of juice per day for 12 months maintained visual learning, which declined under placebo; other memory tests did not budge.
Precautions
Tolerance: in two trials in men with prostate cancer, up to 500 mL of juice per day, no grade 3 or higher adverse events; reported effects were mostly mild or moderate. Limitations: cholesterol: a meta-analysis of 12 trials (545 people) finds no effect on total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, or triglycerides; only one trial without a control group, in 22 diabetics, saw a decrease. Oxidative stress and CRP: two meta-analyses, of 11 and 5 trials, find no clear effect on antioxidant markers or standard CRP. Recovery in beginners: in 36 untrained men, 9 days of juice changed nothing for strength, muscle soreness, or creatine kinase after eccentric arm exercise; and in the trial in trained individuals, nothing for the thighs. Prostate: neither the extract in 183 men nor the juice in 102 men with advanced cancer changed PSA compared to placebo. Erection and insulin: no significant difference versus placebo in 53 men with erectile dysfunction, nor on insulin in 20 obese people. Small trials: studies in athletes involve 9 to 36 people, and their results do not all point in the same direction.
Recommended dosage
Juice: 200 to 500 mL per day in trials, often around 240 mL; extract: 1,000 mg in capsules 30 minutes before exercise in one trial.
How to take it
- Blood pressure: the effect of the juice is seen both before and after 12 weeks, and also with less than 240 mL per day.
- Juice or capsules: for meal glycemia, only the juice worked; the pomegranate extract changed nothing.
- Pre-workout: 1,000 mg of extract 30 minutes before increased arm blood flow and sprint power, with no more reps on the bench press or leg press.
- Recovery: according to the 2018 review, the effect is less likely with a product poor in polyphenols (less than 1.69 g per liter) or taken less than an hour before measurement.
- Duration: trials range from a single dose to 12 months of daily juice; 15 to 21 days in trials involving athletes.
Did you know?
Juice, not capsules: drunk with bread, pomegranate juice reduced the blood sugar rise by a third (−33.1%), whereas pomegranate extract as a supplement changed nothing.
What the studies say
This meta-analysis of 11 randomized clinical trials, involving 484 participants, evaluated the effect of pomegranate consumption on oxidative stress parameters. The results showed no convincing evidence of a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), or paraoxonase. Similarly, no significant decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) was observed. Well-designed clinical studies are needed before definitive claims can be made regarding the effect of pomegranate on oxidative stress parameters.
Morvaridzadeh M, Sepidarkish M, Daneshzad E, Akbari A, Mobini GR, Heshmati J. — Complementary therapies in medicine (2020) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more