Saturday, 12 October 2013
Do you know that Pomegranates could reverse some of the damage done by junk food, research suggests.
A supplement made from the fruit helped keep blood vessels healthy, a key step in keeping heart attacks and strokes at bay.
In the first study of its kind, Spanish researchers looked at the effect of a pill packed with pomegranate plant chemicals called polyphenols on the circulation of pigs.
Pigs were chosen because their cardiovascular system is similar to ours.
Not surprisingly, feeding them fatty food damaged their blood vessels and, in particular, their delicate lining.
This lining, or endothelium, is important as it releases substances that control the expansion and contraction of blood vessels.
Damage to it can be a first step in atherosclerosis – the hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
The blood vessels of the pigs fed fatty food were less elastic. The animals also made less nitric oxide, a blood vessel widening-gas and had other signs of heart problems.
However, a daily dose of Pomanex, a supplement with 200mg of polyphenols called punicalagins, cancelled out many of the effects, the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology heard.
Researcher Dr Lina Badimon, of the Catalan Institute for Cardiovascular Sciences in Spain, said: ‘Enriching a diet with pomegranate polyphenols can help in preventing and retarding endothelial dysfunctions, which are among the first signs of atherosclerosis and strokes.’
