Has anyone ever suggested you start drinking pomegranate juice for memory and brain health? I mean, other than Pom Wonderful 😋. Turns out several studies have found a positive link between drinking juice from this unique fruit and improved cognition.

How Pomegranate Juice Boosts Memory

In one study, individuals with self-reported memory problems were randomly assigned to receive 8 ounces of pomegranate juice or a placebo with a similar flavor. Over a 4-week study period, they participated in memory tests, MRI scans, and blood draws.

Those participants in the pomegranate juice group saw “significant improvement” in their verbal memory tests and their plasma antioxidant levels. They even showed increased brain activity during memory and verbal testing, suggesting the juice helped encourage increased blood flow to “critical task-related” regions of the brain.

Key Findings:

• Peripheral Biomarkers: After a 28-day period, participants who consumed pomegranate juice showed a significant increase in antioxidant levels and plasma urolithin A-glucuronide, a metabolite of pomegranate juice, indicating compliance with the juice regimen.
• Memory Performance: The pomegranate juice group exhibited a noticeable improvement in memory performance after the 28-day period, particularly in total recall and consistent long-term retrieval.
• Imaging Results:
  • Visual Memory Task: Post-treatment, the pomegranate juice group displayed increased brain activity in regions associated with visual memory processing compared to the placebo group.
  • Verbal Memory Task: The pomegranate juice group showed enhanced brain activity in regions related to verbal memory after treatment. This was particularly evident in the left hemisphere, including the left occipital lobe and left fusiform gyrus.

The study concluded:

“After 4 weeks, only the pomegranate group showed a significant improvement in the Buschke selective reminding test of verbal memory and a significant increase in plasma trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and urolithin A-glucuronide.

Furthermore, compared to the placebo group, the pomegranate group had increased fMRI activity during verbal and visual memory tasks. While preliminary, these results suggest a role for pomegranate juice in augmenting memory function through task-related increases in functional brain activity.”

Other Research Agrees: Pomegranates are Good for Brain Health

The researchers go a step further and point to several other studies that come to similar conclusions. Here are a few highlights:

Polyphenols are Neuroprotective

Animal studies have demonstrated the positive effects of polyphenols on memory. Polyphenols have been shown to be neuroprotective and decrease amyloid load – which is associated with Alzheimer’s. Another food that can help protect against amyloid plaques is coconut oil.

The potential mechanisms behind the effects of polyphenol supplementation include antioxidant properties, direct effects on signaling to enhance neuronal communication, and the ability to buffer against excess calcium.

Pharmacological Trials in Patients with Cognitive Impairment

The findings in the pomegranate study also align with other positive results found in trials involving a pharmaceutical drug solution.

The pharma study showed enhanced frontal circuitry activity in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, which was linked to improved cognition. The pomegranate study found the same.

Although there aren’t really any effective pharmaceutical solutions for dementia.

Antioxidant’s Effect on Cerebral Blood Flow

Evidence from animal studies also suggests that antioxidant use can influence cerebral blood flow, both acutely and over short durations. Pomegranates are full of them!

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Who knew pomegranate juice for memory could be a thing? Start eating more right now to boost brain health!

Oh, and pomegranates protect the heart as well by improving blood flow and reducing artery clogging.