Pomegranate juice for rheumatoid arthritis

Posted on Mon, 3 Sep 12

Drinking pomegranate juice has been shown to significantly reduce pain, inflammation, swelling, and joint tenderness in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

The fruit of pomegranate is rich in several powerful antioxidant phytonutrients and has been shown to reduced oxidative stress and improve cardiovascular healthy. Rheumatoid arthritis is a life-threatening autoimmune disease which is characterised by joint pain and greatly increased oxidative stress and risk of heart disease.

A previous study in mice suggested that pomegranate might be able to treat rheumatoid arthritis so a clinical study in people was undertaken. A group of people with bad symptoms despite already taking medication were given 10 ml of pomegranate juice (POM Wonderful, Los Angeles, USA) for 12 weeks.

Pomegranate juice was able to significantly reduce disease activity by 17%, tender joints by 62% and oxidative stress by up to 25%. They also found reductions in inflammation.

The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits of pomegranate juice make it an attractive over the counter supplement for people with joint inflammation commented the study investigators, and these results “suggest the possibility of therapeutic co-administration of pomegranate juice with conventional drugs for the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis."

Reference:

Balbir-Gurman A, Fuhrman B, Braun-Moscovici Y, Markovits D, Aviram M. Consumption of pomegranate decreases serum oxidative stress and reduces disease activity in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study. Isr Med Assoc J. 2011 Aug;13(8):474-9.