Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years reduces carotid intima-media thickness

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Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid

artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood

pressure and LDL oxidation

AviramCorresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The

Corresponding Author, a, Mira Rosenblata, Gaitinib, Samy

Niteckic, Hoffmanc, Dornfeldd, maltese maltese cross,

Nina Volkovaa, Dita Pressera, Judith Attiasa, Harley Likerd and Tony

Hayeka

a The Lipid Research Laboratory, Rappaport Family Institute for

Research in the Medical Sciences, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa 31096,

Israel

b The Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Rambam Medical Center,

Haifa, Israel

c The Department of Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, Technion

Faculty of Medicine and Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel

d Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, LA, USA

Received 11 June 2003; accepted 7 October 2003. Available online 26

November 2003.

Abstract

Dietary supplementation with polyphenolic antioxidants to animals was

shown to be associated with inhibition of LDL oxidation and macrophage

foam cell formation, and attenuation of atherosclerosis development.

We investigated the effects of pomegranate juice (PJ, which contains

potent tannins and anthocyanins) consumption by atherosclerotic

patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) on the progression of

carotid lesions and changes in oxidative stress and blood pressure.

Ten patients were supplemented with PJ for 1 year and five of them

continued for up to 3 years. Blood samples were collected before

treatment and during PJ consumption. In the control group that did not

consume PJ, common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) increased by

9% during 1 year, whereas, PJ consumption resulted in a significant

IMT reduction, by up to 30%, after 1 year. The patients' serum

paraoxonase 1 (PON 1) activity was increased by 83%, whereas serum LDL

basal oxidative state and LDL susceptibility to copper ion-induced

oxidation were both significantly reduced, by 90% and 59%,

respectively, after 12 months of PJ consumption, compared to values

obtained before PJ consumption. Furthermore, serum levels of

antibodies against oxidized LDL were decreased by 19%, and in parallel

serum total antioxidant status (TAS) was increased by 130% after 1

year of PJ consumption. Systolic blood pressure was reduced after 1

year of PJ consumption by 21% and was not further reduced along 3

years of PJ consumption. For all studied parameters, the maximal

effects were observed after 1 year of PJ consumption. Further

consumption of PJ, for up to 3 years, had no additional beneficial

effects on IMT and serum PON1 activity, whereas serum lipid

peroxidation was further reduced by up to 16% after 3 years of PJ

consumption.

The results of the present study thus suggest that PJ consumption by

patients with CAS decreases carotid IMT and systolic blood pressure

and these effects could be related to the potent antioxidant

characteristics of PJ polyphenols.

Author Keywords: Lipoproteins; Lipid peroxidation; Atherosclerosis;

Carotid ultrasound; Antioxidants; Pomegranate; Paraoxonase