It's easy to focus on the major benefits of PomGT, but the antioxidants found in pomegranates and green tea have been found to have even more benefits, with research discovering more each day.

Periodontal Health* | Reduces Inflammation* | Protects Cartilage*
Boosts Immune System | Lowers Blood Sugar Levels* | May Prevent Prostate Cancer*

Periodontal Health

Oral biologists from the University of Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine have shown for the first time that a diet low in antioxidant vitamins can increase the risk of developing gum disease, since bacteria from gum infections have been shown to play a role in heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, in addition to destroying gum tissue and bone.

Furthermore, studies have found that patients who already have periodontitis have very low levels of antioxidants. Green tea plays an even more important role in treating gum disease, as the catechins in green tea have shown their ability to destroy enzymes that eat away at gingival tissues.

Reduces Inflammation

The September 2005 Journal of Nutrition published the findings of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers that an extract derived from pomegranate fruit can block enzymes that contribute to osteoarthritis. The study is the first to show the ability of the fruit to slow cartilage deterioration.

Professor of medicine Tariq M Haqqi PhD and colleagues examined the effect of a pomegranate extract on interleukin-1b in arthritis-afflicted cartilage samples. Interleukin-1b is a protein that causes an overproduction of inflammatory molecules that include matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), enzymes that have been implicated in cartilage resorption.

The research team found that treating cartilage tissue samples with pomegranate extract prior to stimulating the cells with interleukin-1b prevented the expression of matrix metalloproteinases. The finding demonstrates that pomegranate may be able to protect cartilage in addition to its other recently discovered properties, such as its antioxidant benefits.

Protects Cartilage

Pomegranate fruit extract can block enzymes that lead to cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis (OA), according to a recent study conducted at Case Western Reserve University, and partly funded by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health.

A team of researchers, led by Tariq M. Haqqi, Ph.D., put the extract’s known anti-inflammatory properties "to the test" in cartilage samples from people with OA. They found that it inhibited the production of enzymes called "matrix metalloproteinases" (MMPs), which play a key role in cartilage cell turnover, degradation, and destruction in OA.

Boosts Immune System

Antioxidants, scavenge for free radicals, and consequently are a very special group of nutritional supplements. They very special because they play such a very important role in protecting the body from the formation of very dangerous substances referred to as free radicals. Free radicals are important in as much as they have a strong tendency to impair the proper functioning of the immune system which leads to infections and a hoard of degenerative diseases including heart disease and cancer.

Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

Pomegranate juice may slow progression of coronary heart disease (CHD) by improving blood flow to the heart in CHD patients, according to new study results published in the Sept. 16 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

In the randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial, conducted at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and California Pacific Medical Center, 45 CHD patients with decreased blood flow were given either a glass (240 ml or about 8.5 oz) of pomegranate juice (as POM from POM Wonderful) or a placebo drink daily. After three months, patients drinking pomegranate juice exhibited a 17-percent increase in blood flow, while the placebo group showed an 18-percent decrease in blood flow. Researchers reported this benefit was observed without changes in cardiac medications or revascularization in either group. Also, there were no negative effects on lipids, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, body weight or blood pressure.

"Although the sample in this study was relatively small, the strength of the design and the significant improvements in blood flow to the heart observed after only three months suggest that pomegranate juice may have important clinical benefits in those with coronary heart disease," said senior author, Dean Ornish, M.D., founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and clinical professor of medicine at UCSF. "Also, it may help to prevent it."

May Prevent Prostate Cancer

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pomegranate extract has been found in new lab and animal tests to slow the growth of prostate cancer, and may also be effective for cancer prevention. The high levels of polyphenols found in pomegranates and green tea are behind these benefits. According to a recent article in Reuters:

When they incubated prostate cancer cells with 10 to 100 micrograms/mL of pomegranate extract, they observed a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth due to apoptosis and necrosis, along with down-modulation of regulatory molecules and cell-cycle arrest.

…When human prostate cancer cells were injected subcutaneously into athymic nude mice, feeding the animals pomegranate extract delayed the appearance of tumors. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited and survival was prolonged. The authors also observed that PSA secretion correlated with tumor growth inhibition.

In terms of recommending pomegranate juice to patients with prostate cancer, Dr. Mukhtar told Reuters Health, “Based on the data we have it’s highly unlikely that it will produce any adverse effects and it is highly possible that it will produce useful effects.”