By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

September 2, 2019

When I was a kid, my father showed me how to cut a little X into the side of a ripe and juicy pomegranate. Then, he’d have me put the fruit to my lips, squeezing around the fruit with all my strength, as I sucked on the sweet nectar.

As long as you’re not wearing a white shirt, it’s the very best way to enjoy pomegranate juice.

Why the story?

Well, if you read my articles often, you know I am not really a big fan of juices. Most of the time, they just give you an extreme dose of sugar/corn syrup causing an insulin spike again and again, increased inflammation and eventually weight gain.

In fact, many store-bought juices are no better than drinking soda! Every 3 grams listed on the nutrition label equals a teaspoon of sugar. So, that favorite juice of yours with 28 grams of sugar has more than 9 teaspoons of the nasty stuff.

Even home-pressed juice is too high in sugar. I’ve had people say, “I juice a couple of apples and carrots every day…”

Usually, I just shake my head. Really, these folks would be better off just eating the carrots and apples – getting more nutrients and a healthy serving of fiber in the process which actually slows down the absorption of the natural sugars into the bloodstream.

With all of that said, there are a few select juices I do recommend to my patients. They do everything from protecting your heart to slashing your risk of cancer and crushing joint pain.

It’s hard to say that one is better than the other, because they all have a great deal of power behind them. On the other hand, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy each of them in turn…in moderation.

Let’s take a look at what these juices can do for you.

The Power of Pomegranate

One of the things pomegranate juice is best known for is its power to cut men’s risk of prostate cancer.

It does this by reducing men’s levels of PSA – a protein often measured to detect cancer. Pomegranate juice also stops cancer cells from spreading, and may even help kill them off.

It can help you ladies too…

Pomegranate also has similar effects when it comes to breast cancer in women. It appears to decrease the spread of cancer cells without harming normal breast cells.

This juice is also great for your heart.

In fact, my other superstar juice – cherry juice – is heart-healthy as well.  I will go in to other benefits of cherry juice more in a moment. But both juices help raise your levels of nitric oxide.

In particular, they both help raise your levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, or NO, is absolutely necessary to keep blood flowing freely throughout your body. It keeps your blood vessels open, relaxed and functioning properly.

Your body usually makes its own NO. But your levels are cut in half by the time you reach age 40. The NO in Pomegranate juice helps boost the production of nitric oxide, then goes a few steps further.

It also cuts oxidation of LDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, reduces arterial plaque and helps prevent your arteries from thickening. Plus, it can increase your antioxidant status by about 130%, which can help cut down on inflammation.

This makes pomegranate juice a pretty powerful addition to your diet.

Fortify Your Health With Cherry Juice

Montmorency cherry juice is another winner in my book as I mentioned earlier. This tart juice is filled with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.

As you may recall both pomegranate and cherry juices boosts the nitric oxide levels in your body. Cherry juice also helps lower blood pressure and triglycerides. So it’s another great heart-healthy choice.

It can also help with joint and muscle pain.

If you’ve ever experienced an attack of gout, you know that this juice is your “go-to” cure for pain symptoms. It lowers levels of uric acid, which is what causes those attacks of severe pain associated with gout.

Additionally, it helps reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. In six weeks, it can decrease pain levels, improve function and lower levels of the inflammatory marker C – reactive protein (CRP).

I often recommend cherry juice concentrates where you can put one or two tablespoons into a glass of water.

And if you exercise, especially when you really push yourself, drinking Montmorency cherry juice can reduce muscle pain and protect against muscle damage.

A toast to your health with my two recommended juices: pomegranate and Montmorency Cherry!

SOURCES:

Pantuck AJ, et al. Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Jul 1;12(13):4018-26.

Rocha A, et al. Pomegranate juice and specific components inhibit cell and molecular processes critical for metastasis of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2012 Dec;136(3):647-58.

Aviram M, et al. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clin Nutr. 2004;23(3):423-433.

Martin KR, Bopp J, Burrell L, Hook G. The effect of 100% tart cherry juice on serum uric acid levels, biomarkers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk factors. FASEB J. April 2011;25:339.2

Bell PG, et al. Montmorency tart cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) concentrate lowers uric acid, independent of plasma cyanidin-3-O-glucosiderutinoside. Nov 2014;11:82-90.

Schumacher HR, et al. Randomized double-blind crossover study of the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2013 Aug;21(8):1035-41.

Connolly DAJ, et al. Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. Br J Sports Med. 2006;40:679-83.

Bowtell JL, Set al. Montmorency cherry juice reduces muscle damage caused by intensive strength exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43:1544-51.