Pomegranate and dates may help prevent a heart attack
In the past it was known that pomegranates reduce stress, fight arthritis and even help with impotence. Now, a study tells that just a daily half-glass of pomegranate fruit could protect against heart attacks and strokes, too.
In a trial, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology examined mice with high cholesterol, as well as lab-grown arterial cells.
Researchers found that consumption of pomegranate juice and dates dramatically slowed down the rate of atherosclerosis – the build-up of fatty substances in the arteries which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Overall, arterial cholesterol content decreased by 28 per cent.
Both pomegranate and dates have high levels of different antioxidants and are believed to provide the perfect combination to help fight heart disease. The research team has recommended that people consume half a glass of pomegranate juice (around 115ml), together with three dates every day to benefit.
Although the regime sounds easy, many of the most powerful antioxidants are stored in the dates’ stones or pits – so team leader Professor Michael Aviram advised grinding up the stones into a paste and consuming those as well.
The research findings were published in Food & Function, a journal of The Royal Society of Chemistry.
