LiveLongAgeWell

Most likely you have seen the flashy advertising for pomegranate juice, and primarily these ads promote it as a health drink, not for great taste or that it’s refreshing. Fortunately, there is good evidence that this juice is full of wonderful anti-oxidants; it probably cuts the risk of atherosclerosis, and may slow the growth of various cancers, particularly prostate and breast. However it’s expensive, rather bitter, full of calories, and if you buy the most heavily advertised brand, you actually might be getting more cherry juice than pomegranate (for all fruit juices, it’s important to read the label fine print carefully). You might find 100% pomegranate juice—just not the most heavily advertised brand—in some warehouse stores at a reasonable price.

For some years now it has been known that another healthy juice— grapefruit—can cause problems for people taking certain prescription medications, particularly blood pressure and “statin” drugs for high cholesterol. Grapefruit interferes with the metabolism, or breakdown, of certain medications in the body, so if you take one of those medications and also drink grapefruit juice, you could end up with too much of the medication in your system. It seems pomegranate might cause similar problems.

While it’s an ancient fruit that was celebrated centuries ago for its longevity and protective powers, pomegranate has burst into the U.S. scene so recently that scientists need more time and research to figure out exactly how it might interact with medications…still, there is enough concern such that if you take prescription medications, you should check with your doctor or pharmacist before drinking grapefruit or pomegranate juice (or eating the fruit, of course). Likewise if you have cancer, or are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, check with your physician (it could actually impair your treatments). Still, for most people, pomegranate is a very interesting and promising fruit. It just might fulfill its legendary promise and give many health benefits, and I will cover it, and other new, exotic fruits more in future posts (one pleasant Friday post will include the pomegranate martini, otherwise titled: how you can make alcoholic drinks healthier).