In China, the pomegranate fruit symbolized longevity. Now there is scientific evidence for the fruit’s restorative powers.Scientists have tested the juice in mice and found that it combats hardening of the arteries (atherogenesis) and related diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes.

According to results published in the August 2006 issue of Atherosclerosis, subjects who drank 180 ml (6 oz.) of pomegranate juice per day for three months experienced a reduced risk for atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to arterial wall thickening and hardening.

Scientists have long known about health benefits of pomegranates. The latest studies are showing that the juice limits the genetic tendency toward hardening of the arteries.

“We have established that polyphenols [antioxidant chemicals] and other natural compounds contained in the pomegranate juice may retard atherogenesis,” said Claudio Napoli, a professor of medicine and clinical pathology at the University of Naples, Italy. “The protective effects of pomegranate juice were higher than previously assumed.”

This article was taken from acufinder.com