Pomegranates are widely known to have many benefits including fighting heart disorders, improving digestive function, and lowering blood pressure. However, its benefit against gout or arthritis is not well-known by many people. In this write-up, I intend to unveil some of the benefits of eating pomegranate and its juice for people suffering from gout.
Gout is a form of arthritis, characterized by severe pain, tenderness, and redness in joints. It is due to the deposition of too much amount of uric acid in the joints, which crystallizes to cause severe pain and inflammation. Gout pains often come suddenly, and usually attack during night periods.
In the united states, gout is becoming more common over the past two decades. According to a research published by the American College of Rheumatology, gout affects up to 3.9% of US adults as at 2007-2008 (1). That’s about 8.3 million people. The research concluded that the increase in gout sufferers in the US is likely related to increasing frequencies of adiposity and high blood pressure or hypertension.
Now that we know what gout is, how can pomegranates benefit gout sufferers?
Inflammation is a back-bone in gout attack. Seeing that you get rid of inflammations associated with gout is essential in its treatment. Thankfully, pomegranates have been proven to have great anti-inflammatory properties. A research published in the Alexandria Journal of Medicine, found pomegranate juice consumption to possess powerful anti-inflammatory effects (2). These effects were attributed to its rich content of polyphenols.
Due to this anti-inflammatory properties of pomegranates, they may act to relieve pain associated with gout.
Pomegranates are significantly rich in vitamin C, with 1 pomegranate (282 g) providing close to half of the daily requirement for this vitamin. Vitamin C has been found to help reduce the risk for developing gout by lowering the levels of blood urates through the kidneys.
In 2009, a research was carried out to evaluate the effect of vitamin C intake and the risk for gout in men (3). The research recorded some success, and further suggested the possible use of supplemental vitamin C in the prevention of gout.
While most researches have found vitamin C to be helpful in preventing gout, scientists are still in the process of finding how much vitamin C is enough for achieving best results, and preventing harmful side effects of excessive intake.
Rich in antioxidants
Apart from vitamin C, pomegranates are rich in antioxidants such as tannins, ellagic acid, and anthocyanins which are beneficial for gout sufferers. A research conducted in 2011, found pomegranate consumption to reduce symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a sister-disease to gout (4). These symptoms might include pain and inflammation, which are also the same ones affecting gout sufferers.
Apart from relieving symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, these antioxidants have been found to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disorders.
Now that you know pomegranates have some benefits for gout sufferers, you probably want to try them out. People do often ask about the amounts one should consume. While pomegranate and its extracts are safe for consumption, it should only be eaten in moderate amounts. In fact, if you feel you have gout, it is recommended that you talk to your physician before adding any food to your diet for treatment purposes.
Since raw pomegranate fruits are somehow difficult to eat, many people resort to drinking their juices. It’s still a nice way to get most of its nutrients. However, you must be cautious about packed pomegranate juices, as some of them do contain additional or high sugar content that is not good for the body. This is why you should always go for homemade juices, or those ones containing very little amounts of sugar.