Pomegranate-date combo helps prevent heart attacks, Israeli study finds

Technion scientists say half a glass of pomegranate juice and 3 dates a day can protect arteries, reduce cholesterol buildup by 28%

By ToI Staff 9 April 2015, 4:46 am 2

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A pomegranate (Photo credit: CC-BY-SA Aravind Sivaraj/Wikimedia Commons)

An Israeli study has linked regular consumption of pomegranate juice and dates to heart attack prevention.

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have found that half a glass of juice a day, along with three dates, can bring about a significant reduction in therosclerosis — the accumulation of fatty cells in arteries which can cause heart attacks and strokes.

According to the study published recently in British scientific journal Food & Function, the scientists tested the effects of the fruits on mice as well as on arterial cells grown in the laboratory. They found that, used regularly, the combination of antioxidants contained within pomegranates and dates could lower cholesterol in the arteries by 28 per cent.

The researchers said the combination of the different types of antioxidants contained within the two fruits gave the best results in their tests for fighting arterial blockage.

Dates, illustrative (Photo credit: CC-BY-SA Madhif/Wikimedia Commons)

Professor Michael Aviram, who headed the research, noted that the highest concentration of antioxidants is actually contained in the date’s pits. He suggested grinding them up for consumption as well.