Under is an approximation of this video’s audio content material. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, pictures, and quotes to which Dr. Greger could also be referring, watch the above video.
In a landmark case that made all of it the way in which as much as the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals earlier than being denied evaluation by the Supreme Courtroom, POM Fantastic (the pomegranate juice firm) vs. Federal Commerce Fee, a panel of judges concluded that lots of POM’s adverts made deceptive or false claims touting medical research ostensibly exhibiting that pomegranate merchandise might assist deal with varied illnesses, together with coronary heart illness, prostate most cancers, and erectile dysfunction, and the First Modification doesn’t shield misleading and deceptive ads. Putting a blow to its billionaire homeowners, the Courtroom dominated that at the least one randomized scientific trial could possibly be required to substantiate any claims of treating or stopping illness.
In case you take a look at the medical literature on the advantages of pomegranates typically, you’ll see opinions like this, with diagrams like this on the “medicinal results of pomegranate.” However should you dig slightly deeper, you see that is primarily based on research like this: “antiobesity results of pomegranate leaf extract in a mouse mannequin.” To begin with, who eats pomegranate leaves? And second of all, who’s a mouse? And should you do have a fats pet mouse, possibly simply feed them much less lard.
Does pomegranate consumption have an effect on weight in people? In case you take a look at all of the randomized managed scientific trials (that means human trials), pomegranates don’t have any vital impact on physique weight, BMI, stomach fats, and even physique fats share in these randomized to pomegranate product consumption. What about for the prevention and remedy of cardiovascular ailments? Researchers reviewed 25 scientific trials, ldl cholesterol, blood strain, artery perform, atherosclerotic plaque formation, and platelet perform, and…even in the most effective research, they didn’t discover vital indications of profit.
Right here’s a research on pomegranate juice and erectile dysfunction. It was funded by the POM firm, and but it failed as nicely. No profit for diabetes markers, and no profit for continual obstructive pulmonary ailments, like emphysema. They have been banking on the antioxidant exercise of pomegranate juice to assist, however that’s antioxidant exercise in vitro (that means in a take a look at tube or petri dish).
To my shock, a meta-analysis of knowledge from 11 randomized managed trials did not help convincing proof of pomegranate consumption having a big growing impact on complete antioxidant capability of your bloodstream, as a result of a few of the most potent antioxidants don’t even appear to be absorbed into the human physique. No surprise pomegranate supplementation didn’t appear to have an effect on oxidative stress in tissue samples taken from prostate most cancers sufferers. However, after all, what we care about is whether or not it impacts the most cancers Itself.
The strongest proof for the anticancer exercise of pomegranates is claimed to return from research on prostate most cancers. Sadly, early promising outcomes weren’t confirmed after they have been really put to the take a look at. For instance, day by day pomegranate Consumption was present in a randomized managed trial to don’t have any influence on PSA ranges, a marker of tumor development. And, certainly, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial discovered basically no distinction when it got here to prostate most cancers illness development.
They have been banking on the anti-inflammatory exercise of pomegranate juice to assist, however once more, that had been demonstrated in vitro. In folks, a meta-analysis primarily based on 5 randomized managed trials printed in 2016 concluded that pomegranate juice didn’t have a big impact on C-reactive protein ranges, a key marker of irritation. In case you take a look at the forest plot, although, you’ll see all 5 trials tended in direction of decrease C-reactive protein ranges such that the info mixed nearly reached statistical significance. And certainly, an up to date meta-analysis printed in 2020 primarily based on seven research did certainly get tipped over into significance, and located a big drop in two different inflammatory markers as nicely.
Huh, okay. Properly, possibly pomegranate juice might assist in the management of inflammatory ailments in spite of everything. However you don’t know, till you set it to the take a look at.
Osteoarthritis includes the degeneration of the cushioning cartilage inside joints, notably the knees. In case you take some human osteoarthritic cartilage samples and drip on a pomegranate extract, you possibly can present cartilage-protective results. Right here’s how a lot cartilage disintegration was taking place at baseline. Add some irritation, and cartilage breakdown triples, however then add an increasing number of of this pomegranate extract, and you’ll calm issues down. However once more, that’s in a petri dish. How do we all know that once we eat pomegranates, the lively elements really get into our bloodstream to allow them to discover their approach into our joints? Cartilage-protecting elements have been discovered to be bioavailable (at the least in rabbits), elevating the chance that pomegranates could possibly be a protected and unhazardous remedy with no negative effects––versus the medication presently in use. However is it efficient?
Scientific trials are in progress, and so many questions will likely be answered…proper now! The primary and solely scientific trial thus far on pomegranate juice and osteoarthritis. It’s not a placebo-controlled trial, however as an alternative randomized folks to pomegranate juice or nothing in any respect. These consuming the juice did report much less stiffness and impairment of bodily perform, however not considerably higher than simply doing nothing. Shoot.
However simply as I used to be about to surrender on pomegranates, I noticed this research: Consumption of a pomegranate extract suppresses joint harm in rheumatoid arthritis. However no, it was simply the POM ‘Not-So-Fantastic’ firm inducing joint harm in a mouse as a mannequin of rheumatoid arthritis. Come on!
What about this open-labeled research, the place the sufferers knew what they have been getting? Eight folks with lively rheumatoid arthritis took some pomegranate extract every single day, and the six who caught with it reported fewer tender joints. However as we discovered from the osteoarthritis research, should you don’t have a management group you don’t have any sense of what position, if any, the remedy really performs.
And so lastly, we come to this: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. It’s about time! Half of the themes unknowingly bought some pomegranate extracts; the opposite half unknowingly bought the equal of a sugar tablet and…vital enchancment within the variety of swollen joints, tender joints, ache depth, a illness exercise rating, a well being evaluation questionnaire, and morning stiffness, in comparison with placebo. So, if in case you have rheumatoid arthritis, I might certainly suggest you begin consuming pomegranates. Why not simply pop pomegranate capsules? In any case, it was a pomegranate extract that alleviated illness exercise. One good cause to stay to the fruit is that when 19 pomegranate dietary supplements have been really examined in a laboratory, most didn’t really seem to have any pomegranate in them in any respect! Solely 6 out of 19 seemed to be genuine.
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