Pomegranate

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Joint pain in arthritis²

  In people with arthritis, pomegranate juice or extract seemed to ease joint pain and swelling, but the evidence is weak.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood sugar health³

  In people, pomegranate supplements slightly lowered blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, though scientists say more research is needed.

• Benefit

  Blood inflammation marker⁴

  Pomegranate juice lowered a blood marker of inflammation in people, but scientists say more studies are needed.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria health⁵

  Pomegranate feeds good gut bacteria, but how much urolithin your body makes from it varies from person to person.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and colon cancer⁷

  In people newly diagnosed with colon cancer, eating pomegranate lowered a blood marker of gut bacteria leaking into the body.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Metabolic syndrome risk factors¹²

  In animal studies, pomegranate and its extracts seemed to help with blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and weight.

• Benefit

  Heart disease risk¹³

  In lab studies, pomegranate's punicalagin blocked gut bacteria from making a compound linked to heart disease.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and nutrient absorption⁸

  Pomegranate's benefits may depend on gut bacteria turning its compounds into usable forms.

• Benefit

  Heart and gut health⁹

  Pomegranate has plant compounds, and studies suggest it may help the heart and digestion.

• Benefit

  Brain health and memory¹⁰

  Pomegranate may help brain diseases like Alzheimer's, but scientists do not yet know whether it truly works in people.

• Open question

  Compound interactions in humans¹¹

  Scientists do not yet know how the many compounds in pomegranate work together in people.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Allergic reaction in a child⁶

  A 7-year-old with asthma had a breathing reaction right after eating pomegranate seeds.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.