Pomegranate juice shows possible diabetes benefits

The findings, although only from a small trial in humans, showed that the sugars contained in pomegranate juice – although similar in content to those found in other fruit juices – did not worsen diabetes disease parameters (including blood sugar levels) in patients, but in fact cut the risk of atherosclerosis.

“In most juices, sugars are present in free – and harmful – forms,” explained Israeli researchers. “In pomegranate juice, however, the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis.”

The new research, published in the August issue of the journal Atherosclerosis (Vol. 187, pp. 363-371), reports that subjects who drank 50 ml of pomegranate juice (containing 1.5 millimoles of polyphenols) every day for three months experienced a reduced risk for atherosclerosis.

In a follow-on study, to be published in the September issue of Atherosclerosis (Vol. 188, pp. 68-76), researchers report that the antioxidant activity of the pomegranate juice cannot be attributed solely to the polyphenol content of the fruit, but that some credit must also go to the sugar content.