MEDICAL RESEARCH

British scientists have said that pomegranates could help stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating illness of the brain.

They claim a chemical compound in the fruit could prevent inflammation which destroys brain cells.

The findings raise hope that punicalagin could now be used in a drug to prevent or treat the condition, while the hunt for a cure continues. Treatments could also benefit sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson’s disease in the future, because any resulting drug could help to combat inflammation involved in these conditions too.

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Pomegranates have been used for centuries in Middle Eastern folk medicine and are said to be effective against heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), and some cancers, including prostate. The breakthrough shows that punicalagin can inhibit inflammation in specialised brain cells known as micrologia. This inflammation triggers the destruction of brain cells, which makes Alzheimer’s progressively worse.

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield along with colleagues at the University of Freiburg in Germany used brain cells from rats to test their findings.

Study leader Dr Olumayokun Olajide, of Huddersfield’s Department of Pharmacy, is now looking into how much pomegranate extract would be effective in a drug. He pointed out that juice products which are 100 per cent pomegranate contain approximately 3.4 per cent punicalagin. Most of the antioxidant compounds are found in the outer skin of the fruit.

Dr Olajide, added: ‘We do know that regular intake and regular consumption of pomegranate has a lot of health benefits – including prevention of neuro-inflammation related to dementia.’

Although the link has yet to be scientifically proven, pomegranate may be useful for treating inflammation in other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s and cancer, not just neuro-inflammation of the brain.