Can drinking pomegranate juice help lower my cholesterol?

Answer From Brent A. Bauer, M.D.

Small studies seem to suggest that drinking pomegranate juice might lower cholesterol, but overall the evidence is mixed. It's thought that pomegranate juice might block or slow the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries of people who are at higher risk of heart disease.

Like many fruit juices, pomegranate juice contains antioxidants, especially polyphenols. Pomegranate juice contains antioxidants at higher levels than do many other fruit juices, and it contains nearly three times as many antioxidants as green tea or red wine does. Antioxidants are thought to provide several heart-protecting benefits, including reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol.

Pomegranate juice is generally safe to drink if you take some precautions. Check the label to be sure that you're drinking pure pomegranate juice, and not a mixture of juices that contains added sugar. The sugar adds more calories to the juice, which reduces its heart-health benefits.

As you should do with any herbal or dietary supplement, talk to your doctor about pomegranate juice before you start drinking it regularly as a supplement. Pomegranate juice may cause dangerous side effects when it interacts with certain prescription medications, such as the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, including captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and ramipril (Altace).

Nov. 09, 2017 See more Expert Answers

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