A four-ounce glass of pomegranate juice with three dates could protect against the buildup of lipids on the arterial walls by as much as 33%, reducing chances for a heart attack, according to researchers in Israel.
Pomegranate juice and dates make a dynamic duo in the war on heart disease because their respective phenolic antioxidants work differently, according to lead author Professor Michael Aviram.
The key ingredients in pomegranate juice, he says, are plant-derived polyphenolic antioxidants that slow the body’s oxidation process, thereby reducing oxidative stress.
Dates contain phenolic radical scavenger antioxidants, which hinder the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LCL) cholesterol, also known as “bad-cholesterol.”
These scavenger antioxidants found in dates also stimulate the removal of cholesterol from arterial cells that come into contact with lipids, according to Professor Aviram.
Working with arterial cells in laboratory cultures, and with mice whose cholesterol levels were high, Professor Aviram’s team tested the combination of pomegranate juice and dates — using a cocktail that included their pits, which had been ground up.
The cocktail reduced oxidative stress in the arterial wall by 33% and decreased arterial cholesterol content by 28%, according to the study, which was published in the journal Food & Function.
Even without the pits, says Professor Aviram, the combination of dates and pomegranate is powerful and preferable to eating either fruit alone, but ideally the pits should be ground into a paste and consumed.
Pomegranate juice has long been hailed for its high antioxidant component and health benefits.
The researchers concluded that people at high risk for heart problems, as well as healthy people, could benefit from drinking half a glass or pomegranate juice (125ml or 4oz) along with three dates a day for protection.
Original article here
Sounds like a sweet and delicious way to protect your heart to me. Are you going to try it?
Source: nydailynews.com
indeed.. anti inflamitory..