One of the most amazing clinical studies ever performed has been hidden away behind a paywall for more than a decade. When I first stumbled upon this clinical pearl two years ago, in the form of the publicly indexed abstract on pubmed.gov, my jaw nearly dropped.
“Pomegranate juice consumption resulted in a significant IMT [intima-media thickness] reduction, by up to 30 percent, after 1 year,” reads the most eye-opening line in the study’s abstract.
But what does this pomegranate-induced reduction in the intima-media thickness of the arteries mean?
Reversing Atherosclerosis
The intima media is the middle portion of the arteries that becomes inflamed and fills with plaque comprised of oxidized fats, immune cells, and their debris, in the condition known colloquially as “blocked arteries,” or clinically as “atherosclerosis.” As the intima media grows thicker, less space is available for the blood contents to move through the opening (lumen) of the arteries. When the arteries eventually close or are blocked, catastrophic injury or death may follow….