Pomegranate Extract May Reduce Inflammation in Overweight and Obese Individuals

19 Jan 2017 --- A study from researchers at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, has suggested that oral supplementation with pomegranate extract for 30 days has a positive impact on inflammatory markers in overweight and obese subjects.

The study was designed to determine the effect of thirty days of pomegranate extract oral supplementation on plasma inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers as well as serum metabolic profiles, in overweight and obese individuals.

With the number of obese and overweight people in the world increasing, and obesity known to be an inflammatory disorder, there is a great deal of interest in identifying supplementation strategies that will effectively and safely reduce oxidative and pro-inflammatory burden of overweight or obese subjects.

The study was randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine the possible salutary effects of daily 1000 mg pomegranate extract supplementation, which had a polyphenol content approximately equal to 1 L of fresh pomegranate juice, on biomarkers of oxidative stress.

Forty-two subjects successfully completed the intervention. For each of the biomarkers tested in this study there was a significant change in the pomegranate extract treatment group post-supplementation, compared to the change observed in the placebo group.

Glucose and lipid biomarkers (fasting serum glucose, insulin, insulin insensitivity, total and LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) significantly decreased in the pomegranate extract group compared to the placebo group, and HDL-cholesterol significantly increased in the pomegranate group.

Overall, the study suggested that pomegranate extract consumption can have a beneficial effect on oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and glycemic biomarkers, as well as lipid profiles.

The authors state that the study is noteworthy because it is the first study addressing the effects of 30 days of pomegranate extract consumption on markers of lipid peroxidation, inflammation and metabolic profiles among obese and overweight individuals.

However, they add that further studies into the subject are required.