Effects of Pomegranate Juice on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: a Double-Blinded, Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial

The aim of this study is to investigate the simultaneous effect of pomegranate juice on components of the metabolic syndrome, including high sensitive C-reactive protein
(hs-CRP) as an inflammatory index and glycemic and lipid
profile indices in patients with metabolic syndrome. In a
double- blind 2*2 crossover study, 30 individuals suffering
from metabolic syndrome received a daily dose of 500 mL
pomegranate juice for a period of one week. After one week of
wash out period, they received a placebo for one week. Lipid
profile, blood glucose control indices including fasting blood
glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), systolic and diastolic blood
pressure, and hs-CRP were measured at the beginning and
end of the study. To analyze the data, a repeated measure
analysis of variance and a t-test were performed. The results
indicated that in comparison to the placebo, pomegranate juice
was more effective in reducing the systolic and diastolic blood
pressure (p = 0.00) and hs-CRP (p = 0.018). The level of
triglyceride (p = 0.030) and very low-density lipoproteins
cholesterol (VLDL-C) (p = 0.014) were increased after the
consumption of pomegranate juice, as opposed to the baseline
condition. The rest of lipid profile, fasting blood glucose
(FBS), insulin, and HOMA-IR of the participants did not
show any significant difference. Natural pomegranate juice
supplementation lowered the level of systolic and diastolic
blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome as well
as their blood hs-CRP. However, it also increased their triglyceride and VLDL-C.