Pomegranate

What the evidence says

Each claim is rated on its own evidence. Ratings follow the scale on our methodology page.

• Lowers blood pressure Evidence rating: Limited

  People take pomegranate juice or extract hoping it will bring their blood pressure down.

  NCCIH states that pomegranate juice or extract may help lower blood pressure, but that more research is needed to confirm it; a 2022 review calls the trial results diverse.

  NCCIH, the US agency that studies complementary medicine, states that “pomegranate juice or extract may be helpful in reducing blood pressure, but additional research is needed to confirm this effect.” It notes that many of the studies have used pomegranate juice rather than dietary supplements.

  A 2022 systematic review found 20 randomized trials, in 828 people, of pomegranate and the risk factors of metabolic syndrome, blood pressure among them. Most trials used juice; a few used extract, juice with added probiotics, or pomegranate vinegar. The people in them ranged from those on kidney dialysis (hemodialysis) and women with polycystic ovary syndrome to people with type 2 diabetes and healthy volunteers. The reviewers did not pool the results.

  The review concludes that pomegranate “can be beneficial” in reducing blood pressure and other risk factors. It also states that “the results of RCTs that assess these effects are diverse”, and describes many of the trials as small, short or not double-blind. The review did not rate how sure it is (certainty).

  A 2024 meta-analysis of blood pressure trials, which NCCIH lists among its key references, could not be read in full for this page and is not cited. This page rates the claim on the NCCIH statement.

  Sources: Source [1]Source [2]

• Lowers blood sugar Evidence rating: Limited

  People with type 2 diabetes or high blood sugar take pomegranate hoping it will bring their blood sugar down.

  A 2025 review found small falls in fasting blood sugar and insulin that its authors call not clinically meaningful, and no significant change in HbA1c; a 2017 review found no significant effect.

  This claim is about laboratory measures: fasting blood sugar, insulin, a measure of insulin resistance called HOMA-IR, and HbA1c, which reflects average blood sugar over recent months. A 2025 meta-analysis pooled 34 placebo-controlled trials in 1,500 adults, 22 of them in Iran, lasting 1 to 12 weeks. It found small falls in fasting blood sugar, insulin and HOMA-IR with pomegranate, and no significant change in HbA1c.

  The authors conclude that pomegranate reduced fasting blood sugar, insulin and HOMA-IR in adults, particularly in people with type 2 diabetes, and that it “has the potential to improve metabolic health”. They also call the effect “statistically significant, yet not clinically meaningful”. Split by product, juice and extract lowered fasting blood sugar. Powder, seed oil and whole fruit showed no significant change, but each was tested in three trials or fewer, which is too little evidence to show an effect either way. The reviewers rated how sure they are (certainty) moderate for fasting blood sugar, insulin, HOMA-IR and HbA1c.

  Its figures do not all agree. Its certainty table judges the inconsistency between trials “very serious” for each of these outcomes, yet rates them moderate, and its results text says the quality of evidence ranged “from low to high”. Its abstract and its certainty table give different estimates for HOMA-IR. This page records the certainty the table states and does not choose between the two HOMA-IR figures.

  A 2017 meta-analysis of 16 trials reached the opposite conclusion. It found no significant effect on fasting blood sugar, insulin, HOMA-IR or HbA1c, rating certainty high for fasting blood sugar and HbA1c and moderate for insulin and HOMA-IR. It concludes that pomegranate “did not show a notably favourable effect”. Its authors add that, with few people with diabetes included, the effects on blood sugar measures “are inconclusive”, and that the HbA1c result is inconclusive because only three studies reported it. Its abstract counts 538 participants, its main text 627, and its certainty table 590 in the 15 fasting blood sugar trials.

  NCCIH, the US agency that studies complementary medicine, states that “pomegranate may reduce blood glucose levels to a small extent.” Because the two reviews disagree, and the 2025 authors judge their own result not clinically meaningful, this page takes the lower reading rather than the certainty grade.

  Sources: Source [1]Source [2]Source [3]

• Improves blood cholesterol and other blood fats Evidence rating: Limited

  People take pomegranate juice hoping it will improve their cholesterol.

  NCCIH states that no clear effects on cholesterol and other blood fats have been shown; a 2026 review of juice trials reports small changes, two of which leaving out single trials could undo.

  This claim is about blood fat levels, which are markers, not heart attacks or strokes. A 2026 meta-analysis pooled 17 randomized trials of pomegranate juice only, in 663 adults, from a search run up to December 2022. It found small falls in triglycerides and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and a small rise in HDL (“good”) cholesterol, with no significant change in total cholesterol.

  The reviewers report that these results were fragile. Leaving out single trials one at a time changed the overall result for triglycerides and for LDL cholesterol. Results varied widely between trials, and many trials did not clearly describe how people were randomized or how group assignments were kept hidden. The review did not rate certainty. Its figures differ in one place: it counts 663 participants overall, but 671 in its HDL analysis.

  NCCIH, the US agency that studies complementary medicine, states that studies have looked at whether pomegranate products influence cholesterol and other lipids, “but no clear effects have been demonstrated.” Because the sources differ, this page takes the lower reading.

  Sources: Source [1]Source [2]

• Helps with weight loss Evidence rating: Limited

  People take pomegranate hoping it will help them lose weight.

  A 2024 review found slightly lower body weight and BMI that its authors call not clinically meaningful, and no significant change in waist size or body fat.

  A 2024 meta-analysis pooled 28 randomized trials in 1,124 adults, lasting up to 24 weeks, that used pomegranate juice, extract or seed oil. The people in them included those with type 2 diabetes, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome or kidney failure on dialysis, and healthy volunteers. Body weight and body mass index (BMI) fell slightly more with pomegranate than in the control groups. Waist size, fat mass, body fat percentage and lean mass did not change significantly.

  The authors conclude that the fall in weight and BMI “was not clinically meaningful”. In their subgroup analyses, weight fell in trials lasting 8 weeks or more and in people with obesity, but not significantly in shorter trials or in people of normal weight or overweight. They note that most trials did not measure body composition as their main outcome.

  The review’s certainty table labels body weight “High” and BMI “Very High”, although its own methods list four levels, from high to very low. For body weight the same table marks one serious limitation, and its symbols show three of four circles filled. The words and the symbols disagree; this page records the table’s word, high, and reports both. Because the authors judge the change not clinically meaningful, this page rates the claim on the review rather than its certainty grade.

  Sources: Source [1]

• Speeds muscle recovery after exercise Evidence rating: Insufficient

  People who exercise take pomegranate juice or extract hoping it will ease sore muscles and speed their recovery.

  A 2025 review of 10 small studies concludes that pomegranate does not appear to improve overall recovery markers, though one marker of muscle damage was lower right after exercise.

  A 2025 meta-analysis found 10 small studies in 198 people, nine of them in men only, most of them athletes. Five were crossover trials, two were randomized trials with separate groups, and three were not randomized. The studies used different pomegranate products and amounts, for 1 to 8 weeks.

  Pomegranate made no significant difference to muscle soreness, or to the blood markers myoglobin, lactate and C-reactive protein. Its overall result for creatine kinase, another marker of muscle damage, was not significant either, although the review also reports a fall right after exercise in a subgroup of five study arms. Lactate dehydrogenase, a marker of muscle damage, was lower immediately after exercise, in three study arms. The reviewers did not rate certainty.

  They conclude that pomegranate “does not appear to enhance overall recovery markers” but “may offer short-term benefits for mechanical muscle damage”. They note that two earlier systematic reviews, which did not pool results, reported positive effects. Results on soreness varied widely between studies.

  NCCIH, the US agency that studies complementary medicine, states that the limited research so far does not allow conclusions about whether pomegranate helps any health conditions other than blood pressure, blood sugar and blood fats. A result that is not statistically significant, in so few and such small studies, is too little evidence to show an effect, not evidence that there is none. This page rates the claim insufficient on that basis.

  Sources: Source [1]Source [2]

• Slows the rise in PSA in men with prostate cancer Evidence rating: Insufficient

  Men with prostate cancer take pomegranate extract or juice hoping it will slow the rise in their PSA.

  A 2015 review reports no difference in PSA in three pomegranate trials in men with prostate cancer, and judged most trials in this field underpowered and short.

  PSA is a blood marker used to follow prostate cancer; a change in PSA is not the same as the cancer growing, spreading or causing death. A 2015 systematic review of 44 randomized trials of diet, supplement and exercise programs in men with prostate cancer included three trials of pomegranate. It did not pool results or rate certainty.

  In a trial of pomegranate extract against placebo before prostate surgery, the review reports no difference in PSA or in markers of cell growth. A trial in men after treatment compared two strengths of extract, with no placebo group, and found no difference in PSA doubling time between them. The review’s text describes that comparison as experimental against control; its table lists the two strengths. A 28-day trial, which the review judged at low risk of bias, found no difference in PSA change. Its table lists pomegranate juice against a placebo juice, while its text describes pomegranate extract supplements.

  A fourth trial tested a capsule of pomegranate seed with green tea, broccoli and turmeric against placebo, and the review reports a smaller rise in PSA with it. It tested the four ingredients together, not pomegranate on its own.

  The reviewers judged most trials in the field underpowered, short, or at high or unclear risk of bias. They add that PSA alone has not been proven to stand in for survival. NCCIH, the US agency that studies complementary medicine, states that the limited research so far does not allow conclusions about whether pomegranate helps any health conditions other than blood pressure, blood sugar and blood fats. A few small trials finding no difference are too little evidence to show an effect either way, so this page rates the claim insufficient.

  Sources: Source [1]Source [2]

Sources

1. Pomegranate
   National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH, 2025 · Health authority summary · Primary source
2. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) and Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors and Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies
   Nutrients, 2022 · Systematic review · Primary source
3. The effect of pomegranate products on glycemic profile in adults: a GRADE- assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   BMC Nutrition, 2025 · Meta-analysis · Primary source · Certainty: moderate
4. Lack of efficacy of pomegranate supplementation for glucose management, insulin levels and sensitivity: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis
   Nutrition Journal, 2017 · Meta-analysis · Primary source · Certainty: moderate
5. Pomegranate juice consumption and lipid profile: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
   Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine, 2026 · Meta-analysis · Primary source
6. The effects of pomegranate consumption on obesity indices in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
   Food Science & Nutrition, 2024 · Meta-analysis · Primary source · Certainty: high
7. The Effects of Pomegranate Supplementation on Markers of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
   Current Developments in Nutrition, 2025 · Meta-analysis · Primary source
8. A systematic review of dietary, nutritional, and physical activity interventions for the prevention of prostate cancer progression and mortality
   Cancer Causes & Control, 2015 · Systematic review · Primary source

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