New research from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh identifies that pomegranate juice can help to reduce blood pressure.
The study investigated the effects of pomegranate juice on blood pressure and involved 20 participants, 10 of whom took a daily 500ml portion of pomegranate juice, and 10 who took just 500ml of water. Measurements of blood pressure and urinary hormone levels were taken before and after 30 minutes of exercise, both before starting the study and one week after. The individuals who drank the pomegranate juice showed significant improvements in blood pressure after one week, whilst those drinking only water showed no significant difference. Even after just one week of pomegranate juice, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lowered both before and after exercise.
This is the first study to show that pomegranate juice can have a positive effect on blood pressure levels and further studies will now be required. A possible next step will be to identify whether pomegranate juice has similar effects on individuals who already have a high blood pressure.
Findings from the study will be presented at the 2011 Society for Endocrinology Conference in Birmingham, UK.
