Pomegranate In Pregnancy

Preliminary studies show that dietary pomegranate produces brain anti-inflammatory effects that may help stall the progression of Alzheimer Disease. Other studies suggest drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily helps improve performance in tasks related to learning and memory. Pomegranate also has antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects in the gastrointestinal tract.

Pomegranate Benefits For Pregnant Women

Usually, gynaecologists-obstetricians recommend fruits to pregnant women. Eating fruits help pregnant females get proper nutrition. Pomegranate is one of those recommended fruits. As you are pregnant for the first time, you might have queries about the benefits of pomegranate during pregnancy. Keep reading this post to get your queries resolved.

Nutritional content in pomegranate

Originally from the Middle East, pomegranate is a tree that grows upto 5-8 feet. It grows well in the area that is around 1000 metre below sea level. People grow it as a medicinal, fruit, and ornamental plant. As per a study, this fruit has vitamin C content around 40%. And this content is enough for the daily requirements of vitamin C in adults. In addition, it has the following nutritional elements:

Vitamin K
Calcium
Protein
Fibre
Iron
Folate
Potassium

Suggest to Read:- 12 Best Foods For Pregnancy , Best Fertility Foods When Trying to Get Pregnant

Benefits of eating pomegranates during pregnancy

As a pregnant woman, you are the only feeder to the foetus. You should be aware of what you should eat and what you should avoid for the betterment of the baby in your womb. Pomegranates are one of the fruits that you should eat during pregnancy. Having a look at the following benefits of pomegranates for pregnant women can make you comprehend why you should eat this fruit:

Improve digestion – Pomegranates have a good amount of fibre. Due to this, consuming this fruit helps you stay away from several digestive disorders such as constipation. It optimises your digestive system and helps in stimulating bowel movements.
Prevent iron deficiency – Eating pomegranates can help you be sure about the presence of sufficient iron in your blood. A pomegranate has around 40% vitamin C content. Such a presence of vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from what you eat and lowers your risk of anaemia or iron deficiency that causes preterm delivery.
Safeguard from free radicals – Due to some bodily processes, your body has free radical formation. In general, these radicals are waste in your body and can turn into toxins. Your body should flush it out. If it does not go out from your body, it can damage your body and placenta by interacting with your DNA molecules or healthy cells. Consuming a pomegranate a day can help you get rid of free radicals and the antioxidants present in this fruit helps you repair the damaged cells.
Prevent cramps – Potassium facilitates your body muscles to work better. And as a result, you have no or low cramp experience during pregnancy. It means your body should have enough potassium to avoid pregnancy cramps. Consuming a pomegranate daily can help you in this regard.
Support the brain development – Folate is a crucial nutrient for the proper mental development of the foetus. It facilitates the formation of neural tubes and the nervous system of the baby in your uterus. So, you should eat this fruit to keep the brain development of your baby on the right path.

How to consume pomegranates

You can eat a pomegranate by peeling out its outer skin. Further, you can make juice and fruit salads to eat pomegranates.

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Pomegranate

Pomegranate grows as a multistemmed shrub or large tree, as high as 20 to 30 feet, that produces suckers from the base. It is native to Iran and is cultivated in the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Deciduous leaves are opposite, or in whorls, approximately 3/8 to 4 inches long. Flowers are 1 ¼ inch and have a red tubular calyx. The fruit has a leathery skin, usually deep pink or red. The inside of the fruit has white spongy tissue that creates spaces filled with sacs or tart pulp and seed.

Parts Used

The fruit and seed are used in modern herbal medicine. In some traditional folk remedies, the rind and root or bark may also have been used, but they contain potentially toxic substances and should be avoided.

Medicinal Uses and Indications

Cancer

Pomegranate is high in antioxidants and other nutrients, so some people think that drinking pomegranate juice regularly may help prevent cancer. In test tubes, pomegranate extracts made from juice, rind, and oil slow down the reproduction of cancer cells and may hasten their death. Some extracts also help reduce blood supply to tumors, starving them and making them smaller. Most studies have focused on breast, prostate, and colon cancer cells. In one other study, pomegranate juice extract given to mice slowed down the growth of lung tumors. However, most of these studies have been in test tubes or in animals, not in humans. In one human study, men who had surgery or radiation for prostate cancer lengthened the amount of time it took for their PSA levels to double by drinking 8 oz. of pomegranate juice each day. Men whose PSA levels double in a short period of time are at higher risk of death from prostate cancer. Those who drank pomegranate juice increased the time it took for their PSA levels to double from about 15 months to 54 months. If you are being treated for cancer, be sure to ask your oncologist before you take pomegranate or any herb or supplement. Pomegranate may interact with cancer medications, making the medications less effective.

Heart disease

Pomegranate’s high antioxidant content has also made researchers wonder if it could treat heart disease. Pomegranate juice seems to protect LDL (bad) cholesterol from damage. Some scientists think that damage to LDL cholesterol causes plaque to build up in arteries, so stopping the damage might help keep arteries clear. One study of mice with atherosclerosis found that pomegranate juice slowed the growth of plaque formation. A few small human studies in people found that pomegranate juice improved blood flow and kept arteries from becoming thick and stiff. More and better studies are needed to see exactly what benefit pomegranate juice might offer. Preliminary evidence suggests that drinking pomegranate juice every day may help lower systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) but not diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number). Other studies suggest that prolonged pomegranate juice intake improves cardiovascular risk factors, slowing the progression of plaque build up on the arteries and enhancing immunity.

Osteoarthritis

Flavonols (a kind of antioxidant) similar to the ones found in pomegranate fruit have been suggested as treatments for osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in joints wears down and causes pain and stiffness. Researchers believe flavonols can help block inflammation that contributes to the destruction of cartilage. In test tubes, pomegranate extract blocked the production of an enzyme that destroys cartilage in the body. In one review of the scientific literature, researchers concluded that all of the studies reported positive effects of pomegranate juice or extract on osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The results were promising; however, more studies, and studies that look at the effects in humans, are needed.

Other Uses