The Science of POM Wonderful

For centuries, the pomegranate has been valued as a symbol of health. Could the legends have some basis in fact? In 1998, research began in an effort to get some answers.

A number of top scientists in their fields, including a Nobel Laureate, have researched areas including antioxidant activity, cardiovascular, circulation, prostate, erectile function and others. To date, multiple peer-reviewed studies have been completed and published, while a number of others are still in progress.

To learn more about the studies, please click any of the following areas of research:

Cardiovascular

Effects of Pomegranate Juice Consumption on Myocardial Perfusion in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease
Summer, MD, Elliott-Eller, M, Weidner, G, Daubenmier, JJ, Chew, MH, Marlin, R, Raisin, CJ, and Ornish, D
American Journal of Cardiology 2005, 96: 810-814

Pomegranate Juice Consumption for 3 years by Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis Reduces Common Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Blood Pressure and LDL Oxidation
Aviram, M, Rosenblat, M, Gaitini, D, Nitecki, S, Hoffman, A, Dornfeld, L, Volkova, N, presser, D, Attias, J, Liker, H and Liker, H.
Clinical Nutrition, 2004, 23: 423-433

Pomegranate Juice Inhibits Oxidized LDL Uptake and Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Macrophages
Fuhrman, B, Volkova, N, Aviram, M
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2006, 16: 570-576

Effects of Pomegranate Juice and Extract Polyphenols on Platelet Function
Mattiello, T, Trifiro, E, Jotti, G, Pulcinelli, F
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2009, 12(2)

Pomegranate Juice Protects Nitric Oxide Against Oxidative Destruction and Enhances the Biological Actions of Nitric Oxide
Ignarro LJ, Byrns RE, Sumi D, de Nigris F, Napoli C.
Nitric Oxide 2006, 15(2):93-102

Pomegranate Juice Consumption Inhibits Serum Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Activity and Reduces Systolic Blood Pressure
Aviram, M and Dornfeld, L.
Atherosclerosis 2001, 158: 195-198

Pomegranate Juice Consumption Reduces Oxidative Stress, Atherogenic Modifications to LDL, and Platelet Aggregation
Aviram, M, Dornfeld, L, Rosenblat, M, Volkova, N, Kaplan, M, Coleman, R, Hayek, T, Presser, D, Fuhrman, B
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000, 71: 1062-76

Macrophage Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) Expression is Up-Regulated by Pomegranate Juice Phenolic Anti-Oxidants Via PPAR? and AP-1 Pathway Activation
Shiner, M, Fuhrman, B, Aviram, M
Atherosclerosis, published online January 7, 2007

Pomegranate Juice Reduces Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Downregulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Human Coronary Endothelial Cells
de Nigris F, Williams-Ignarro S, Botti C, Sica V, Ignarro LJ, and Napoli C.
Nitric Oxide. 2006, 15(3):259-63

Beneficial Effects of Pomegranate Juice on Oxidation-Sensitive Genes and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity at Sites of Perturbed Shear Stress
Nigris, F, Ignarro, S, Lerman, L, Crimi, E, Botti, C, Mansueto, G, D'Armiento, F, De Rosa, G, Sica, V, Ignarro, L, Napoli, C
Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, 2005, 102(13): 4896-4901

Cancer

Phase II Study of Pomegranate Juice for Men with Rising Prostate-Specific Antigen following Surgery or Radiation for Prostate Cancer
Pantuck, AJ, Leppert, JT, Zomorodian, N, Aronson, W, Hong, J, Barnard, RJ, Seeram, N, Liker, H, Wang, H, Elashoff, R, Heber, D, Aviram, M, and Belldegrun, A.
Clinical Cancer Research 2006, 12(13): 4018-4026

Pomegranate Polyphenols Down-Regulate Expression of Androgen-Synthesizing Genes in Human Prostate Cancer Cells Overexpressing the Androgen Receptor
Hong, M, Seeram, N, Heber, D
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, published online November 8, 2008

Pomegranate Juice, Total Pomegranate Ellagitannins, and Punicalagin Suppress Inflammatory Cell Signaling in Colon Cancer Cells
Adams, LS, Seeram, NP, Aggarwal, BB, Takada, Y, Sand, D, and Heber, D.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2006, 54: 980-985

In Vitro Antiproliferative, Apoptotic and Antioxidant Activities of Punicalagin, Ellagic Acid and a Total Pomegranate Tannin Extract are Enhanced in Combination With Other Polyphenols as Found in Pomegranate Juice
Seeram, N, Adams, LS, Henning, SM, Niu, Y, Zhang, Y, Nair, MG and Heber, D
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2005, 16: 360-367

Erectile Function

Efficacy and Safety of Pomegranate Juice on Improvement of Erectile Dysfunction in Male Patients With Mild to Moderate Erectile Dysfunction
CP Forest, H Padma-Nathan and HR Liker
International Journal of Impotence Research 2007, 19: 564-567

Diabetes

Anti-Oxidative Effects of Pomegranate Juice (PJ) Consumption By Diabetic Patients on Serum and on Macrophages
Rosenblat, M, Hayek, T and Aviram, M. 2005
Atherosclerosis 2006, 187(2): 363-371

Consumption of Wonderful Variety Pomegranate Juice and Extract by Diabetic Patients Increases Paraoxonase 1 Association with High-Density Lipoprotein and Stimulates Its Catalytic Activities
Rock, W, Rosenblat, M, Miller-Lotan, R, Levy, A, Elias, M, Aviram, M
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008, 56: 8704-8713

Antioxidant Composition

Comparison of Antioxidant Potency of Commonly Consumed Polyphenol-Rich Beverages in the United States
Navindra P. Seeram, Michael Aviram, Yanjun Zhang, Susanne M. Henning, Lydia Feng, Mark Dreher, and David Heber
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, published online January 26, 2008

Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate Juice and Its Relationship with Phenolic Composition and Processing
Gil, MI, Tomas-Barberan, FA, Hess-Pierce, B, Holcroft, DM, and Kader, AA
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2000, 48: 4581-4589

Bioavailability

Pomegranate Juice and Extracts Provide Similar Levels of Plasma and Urinary Ellagitannin Metabolites in Human Subjects
Seeram, N, Zhang, Y, McKeever, R, Henning, S, Lee, R, Suchard, M, Li, Z, Chen, S, Thames, G, Zerlin, A, Nguyen, M, Wang, D, Dreher, M, Heber, D
Journal of Medicinal Food 2008, 11(2): 390-394

Pomegranate Juice Ellagitannin Metabolites Are Present in Human Plasma and Some Persist in Urine for Up to 48 Hours1,2
Seeram NP, Henning SM, Zhang Y, Suchard M, Li Z, Heber D.
Journal of Nutrition 2006, 136(10):2481-5

Bioavailability of Ellagic Acid in Human Plasma After Consumption of Ellagitannins From Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Juice
Seeram N., Lee R., and Heber D.
Clinica Chimica Acta 2004, 348: 63-68

Immunity and Anti-Microbial

Antioxidant, Antimalarial and Antimicrobial Activities of Tannin-Rich Fractions, Ellagitannins and Phenolic Acids from Punica granatum L.
Reddy M., Gupta S., Jacob M., Khan S., Ferreira D.
Planta Medica 2007, 73: 461-467

Review Articles

Scientific and Clinical Monograph for Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
McCutcheon A., Udani J., Brown D.
American Botanical Council, 2008, herbalgram.org

Pomegranates and Prostate Health: A Research Report
Dreher, M.
PCRI Insights 2008, 11(3): 26-33

Pomegranate Juice Flavonoids Inhibit Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation and Cardiovascular Diseases
Aviram M., Dornfeld L., Kaplan M., Coleman R., Gaitini D., Nitecki S., Hofman A., Rosenblat M., Volkova N., Presser D., Attias J., Hayek T., Fuhrman B.
Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research 2003, XXVIII(2/3): 49-62

Safety & Drug Interaction

Pomegranate Juice Does Not Impair Clearance of Oral or Intravenous Midazolam, a Probe for Cytochrome P450-3A Activity
Farkas D., Oleson L., Zhao Y., Harmatz J., Zinny M., Court M., Greenblatt D.
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2007, 47(3): 286-294