Drink Up: Pomegranate Juice Has Antioxidants

Fruit antioxidants are sweeping the news headlines because of their high content of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capability - a way to measure amounts of antioxidants in food sources), but a recent study declares pomegranate juice has antioxidants that are higher in number than most other juices.

While açai juice and goji berry juice have been getting a lot of attention, a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry has declared pomegranate juice to be the best juice for seeking to increase their intake of antioxidants through the consumption of juice. The study found pomegranate juice to contain at least 20% more ORAC units than any of the other beverages compared in the study, including white tea, green tea, red wine, açai berry juice and orange juice.

Another study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found pomegranate juice to be effective at reducing the hardening of arteries and at lowering high blood pressure. As a result, pomegranate juice is being touted as a good way to naturally fight heart disease.

This is good news since pomegranate juice is more readily available and is typically less expensive than the rare açai and goji berry concoctions being sold on the Internet and in health food stores. Because pomegranate juice is still pretty pricey, you may want to mix it with other antioxidant-rich juices such as apple or cherry juice.

Since you only need to consume 3,000 ORAC units a day to fight aging and cancer, a simple three ounce glass of pomegranate juice will give you your daily recommended allotment of antioxidants. 

Pomegranate juice-currently a fad foundation for POMtinis and other cocktails-is a sweet, tasty juice that can be drank straight up or mixed with less expensive drinks.