Pomegranate Juice - Your Best Bedroom Buddy

I drink about 4 oz of Pomegranate Juice religiously every day. I can't think of many things, besides maybe a Low Fat Diet and Exercise that will help your sex life in more ways. The reason is simple: Pomegranate Juice helps your cardiovascular system in a dozen different ways which, in turn, ramps up the blood flow to your penis.

First of all, studies have shown that Pomegranate Juice lowers cholesterol and LDL, the bad cholesterol. [4] Still other studies have shown that Pomegranate Juice inhibits uptake of the nasty oxidized LDL [5] and dramatically lowers blood pressure. [6]

CAUTION:  Pomegranate Juice can potentially interfere with certain medications including statins, calcium channel blockers, immunosuppressants,  antiarrhythmics and others.  The issue is that Pomegranate Juice (and Grapefruit Juice) affect the P450 3A4 enzyme system within the liver, i.e. absorption of certain drugs can be affected.  One journal documented a serious muscle tissue breakdown case that occurred from Pomegranate Juice interacting with a statin. [7]  Please consult with your doctor or pharmacist for possible interactions.

Do you know the foods and drinks that increase erection-boosting Nitric Oxide? Check out the Peak Erectile Strength Diet where I show you how to dramatically and naturally improve your erectile strength.

You put all these properties together and Pomegranate Juice becomes a near magic elixir that actually partially reversed artheriosclerosis in one study!  You read that right - pomegranate juice can actually clear off some of the plaque in your arteries assuming you take it faithfully for three, six or even twelve months. [1] Here is a quote from Lef.org's site about this study: "Remarkably, patients drinking 1.7 oz of pomegranate juice experienced a whopping 35% reduction in the IMT score and a 44% improvement in carotid artery blood flow". IMT is the thickness between inner and middle layers of the artery.

The participants in this study were men with narrowing of the arteries (stenosis) due to arterial plaque buildup. This seems to be pomegranate juice's "sweet spot":  improving arterial health in men under oxidative stress and narrowing of the arteries.  (As I document in my book on low testosterone, low testosterone generally accelerates arteriosclerosis and arterial plaque.) 

One subsequent study studied giving 8 oz of pomegranate juice to middle and senior-aged men (and women) without significant narrowing of the arteries but at moderate risk for heart disease. [8] It found that pomegranate juice did not actually reverse arteriosclerosis in this case but would likely slow progression in those under oxidative stress, HDL or triglyceride issues.  Of course, this describes a huge subset of the population in any modern industrialized society. 

So pomegranate juice may or may not reverse your arterial plaque, depending on the status of your health.  Are there other reasons to take pomegranate?  Yes!  One of the studies mentioned above [1] showed an average 20% drop in blood pressure. The reason for this is simple:  it will significantly increase Nitric Oxide output!  Yes, the same stuff that Viagra increases, pomegranate will do the same and one study showed as much as 50% in heart cells!

Of course, many supplements, fruits, vegetables and even a few grains will increase your Nitric Oxide levels. Researchers in one study looked at many of the heavy hitters in this category and concluded that Pomegranate Juice was "much more potent than Concord grape juice, blueberry juice, red wine, ascorbic acid [Vitamin C], and DL-alpha-tocopherol [Vitamin D]". [3]

Have any studies directly demonstrated improved erectile strength from pomegranate juice consumption?  Yes again! One recent study showed pomegrantate juice improved erectile function in 42 men with ED. [2]

NOTE: The "gold standard" of pomegranate juice is POM brand Pomegranate Juice.  The taste and quality of POM is consistently high.  However, Wal Mart Super Centers now carry an inexpensive pure pomegranate juice that is around $4 per large bottle at least in my area.  You want between 2 and 8 oz per day.

REFERENCES:

1) Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;23(3):423-33, ""Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation""

2) International Journal of Impotence Research, Nov/Dec 2007,19(6):564–567 

3) Nitric Oxide, 2006 Sep, 15(2):93-102

4) Intl J for Vitamin and Nutrition Res, May 2006, 76(3):147-151

5) The J of Nutritional Biochem, 16(9):570-576, Sep 2005, B. Fuhrman, et. al., "Pomegranate juice inhibits oxidized LDL uptake and cholesterol biosynthesis in macrophages"

6) Clin Nutr 2004;23(3):423-33

7) Amer J of Cardiology, 98(5):705-706, Sep 1 2006, "Rhabdomyolysis Associated With Pomegranate Juice Consumption", Alexey V. Sorokin, et. al.

8) The American Journal of Cardiology, Oct2009, 104(7):936-942, "Effects of Consumption of Pomegranate Juice on Carotid Intima–Media Thickness in Men and Women at Moderate Risk for Coronary Heart Disease"