Pomegranate juice may help adults to reduce arthritis symptoms according to a recent study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The study, “The effect of pomegranate juice on clinical signs, matrix metalloproteinases and antioxidant status in patients with knee osteoarthritis,” was conducted at a large Iranian hospital.
Thirty-eight adults with knee arthritis who were 30 to 80 years old were selected to participate in the study. Some participants were given 200mL (about 7 oz.) of pomegranate juice to drink daily for 6 weeks while the remaining adults continued with their usual food and drink choices. Researchers found that adults who drank the pomegranate juice had improved physical function and stiffness, decreased cartilage breakdown, and increased inflammation-fighting proteins in the blood.
Previous research shows that pomegranate juice contains anti-inflammatory compounds called polyphenols, which may be responsible for the observed effects.
The study, led by Nasrin Ghoochani of the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Iran, is the first clinical trial on the effects of pomegranate juice in adults with arthritis.
