Pomegranate is one of the foods for which there is currently a health 'buzz'. Specifically, it is claimed that the polyphenols found in pomegranate juice have many health benefits, and that extracts of pomegranate can aid in anti-aging and in preventing heart disease.

Is any of this true? Are the claimed benefits of pomegranate juice or extracts actually real?

The pomegranate is the fruit of a warm climate shrub or small tree which has been cultivated in Asia and around the Mediterranean sea for centuries. It is now grown in many countries around the world where the climate allows. It is a fruit which is fairly difficult and fiddly to peel and eat, with the juicy red 'arils' or seed cases needing to be separated from the pith by hand. It is usually eaten raw.

In folk mythology, pomegranates traditionally have 365 'seeds'. However, modern studies, which have actually counted seeds in individual pomegranates grown in various countries, have shown that the number of seeds can vary from 329 to over 1000! In fact, the bigger a pomegranate is, the more seeds it is likely to have.

The juice (whether fresh or extracted) of the pomegranate contains vitamin C, folic acid, and polyphenols (antioxidants), which are the basis of the health claims for the fruit.

Polyphenols work by removing free radicals from cells, which helps to maintain the human cell function, and they also aid in wound repair, in strengthening the immune system, and by having an anti-inflammatory effect. Perhaps the most famous benefit is that these polyphenols can help to slow skin wrinkling, and so pomegranates are a popular ingredient in anti-aging remedies, both traditional and modern.

Recent research has also shown that pomegranates can also help with osteoarthritis, by slowing the deterioration of cartilage. Another study has presented evidence that pomegranate juice was effective in increasing blood flow to the heart, and so was helpful for patients with ischemic heart disease. This was a study in which test subjects drank 8 ounces of juice every day for three months. It was also shown to reduce arterial plaque, in a patient test group.

In view of these results, many commercial supplements and extracts are becoming available in concentrated or capsule form. The benefits of using pomegranate extracts as a health supplement are that the less useful ingredients of the juice are removed, including the sugar and calories.

So the answer to the question we began with, 'Are there real health benefits of pomegranate juice, extracts or supplements?', seems to be 'Yes, there are'. The development of the belief in the benefits of this unusual fruit appears to be, firstly, scientific investigation and endorsement, then the development of commercial supplements derived from pomegranates, then publicity for these products both online and in traditional media, at which stage the idea of pomegranate products as being beneficial finally passed into full public consciousness.

So, get peeling that pomegranate! You don't have to count the seeds though!