Pomegranate juice may reduce kidney dialysis complications: Study

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Pomegranate juice may reduce kidney dialysis complications: Study

By Gray, 19-Nov-2010

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Pomegranate juice may reduce complications in kidney disease patients on

dialysis, including the high morbidity rate due to infections and

cardiovascular events, according to a preliminary study.

The study suggests that 12 months consumption of pomegranate juice “has a

continuous, accumulative, beneficial effect for dialysis patients.â€

The researchers found that pomegranate juice consumption yields a lower

level of oxidative stress, reduced inflammation, an improvement in lipid

profile, and reductions in blood pressure.

**The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of

pomegranate juice consumption, on oxidative stress, inflammation and incidence

of

infections after one year of intervention,** stated the researchers, led by Dr

Batya Kristal from the Western Galilee Hospital in Israel.

The research was presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 43rd

Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Denver, CO, and was supported by

the Chief Scientist Office of the Ministry of Health, Israel, the Jess &

Mildred Fisher Family Cardiology Research Fund, and the Office of the

Executive Vice President for Research, Technion, Israel.

Multiple benefits

The authors noted that recent studies have claimed pomegranate juice to

have multiple health benefits, including being a rich source of antioxidants,

and lowering both cholesterol and blood pressure – especially in diabetic

and hypertensive patients.

Researchers reported that patients on dialysis, in addition to their renal

disease, also suffer from increased risks of diabetes (over 50 percent

increased risk), hypertension (over 80 percent risk increase), and

cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, they noted that patients are exposed to

high

levels of oxidative stress.

Among dialysis patients, vitamin E is a well documented to reduce

cardiovascular events, and other polyphenols are known to reduce lipid

oxidation

and oxidative stress.

Pomegranate juice is known for its strong antioxidant activity. The

antioxidant capacity of pomegranate juice is due to its high concentration of

anthocyanins and hydrolysable tannins, including both allegic, and gallagic

acids, and the poniculagenim – which originate from the peels of pomegranate

and contribute up to 50 percent of its antioxidant activity.

Dr Kristal and colleagues studied 101 dialysis patients who received

either pomegranate juice or another placebo drink at the beginning of each

dialysis session, three times a week for one year in order to asses whether the

antioxidant rich pomegranate juice could benefit kidney dialysis patients.

Pom- improvement

The researchers reported that patients who drank pomegranate juice

experienced reduced inflammation, and damage from oxidative stress induced free

radicals was minimized.

Furthermore, pomegranate juice drinkers were found to be less likely to be

hospitalized due to infections, with a 40 percent reduction in first

hospitalization events, and over an 80 percent decrease in secondary

hospitalizations.

The authors also noted that further analysis of secondary outcome data

revealed that those who drank pomegranate juice also showed an improvement in

cardiovascular risk factors, such as reduced blood pressure, improvement in

lipid profile and fewer cardiovascular events – suggesting that they had

better heart health

The researchers observed intake of pomegranate juice to have a

**continuous, accumulative beneficial effect throughout the 12 months study

period.**

However, in a follow up clinical evaluation three months post

intervention, when pomegranate juice was not supplied to patients, there was a

clear

indication **that there was no longer any positive effect remaining from the

twelve months of pomegranate juice intake,** said Kristal

Potent properties

The authors noted that their findings support other studies which suggest

pomegranate juice to have **potent antioxidant properties**.

**It apparent, that pomegranate juice consumption may have a beneficial

effect on the above relation, and as such favor a reduction in the morbidity

and mortality of hemodialysis patients,** stated Dr Kristal and colleagues.

However, they added that because pomegranate juice contained relatively

high levels of potassium, and potassium overload is considered an important

risk, especially for chronic kidney disease patients with dietary potassium

restriction.

**Considering the expected epidemic of chronic kidney disease in the next

decade, further clinical trials using pomegranate juice aimed at reducing

the high cardiovascular morbidity of chronic kidney disease patients and

their deterioration to end-stage renal disease should be conducted,** said Dr.

Kristal.

Dr. Kristal stated that because of this risk, it is recommended that

habitual pomegranate juice intake should be monitored by a dietitian and a

nephrologist.

She added that on-going consumption of pomegranate juice **may well lead

to improved quality of life by reducing the high illness rate among dialysis

patients**, however, further studies are still needed.