The bad news is, I can’t find an authoritative answer.
The good news is, I’ve found some interesting facts that will help gout sufferers, and possibly many other people.
I’ve learned that pomegranates are the richest fruit source of anti-oxidants. This ought to make them good for gout sufferers, as many high anti-oxidant foods have been shown to reduce uric acid. However, anti-oxidants covers a wide range of substances, and they do not all act in the same way.
So I needed to find out more about the specific affect of pomegranate juice on uric acid.
Though I cannot find any specific research in this area, there is one report about pomegranate juice that does mention uric acid. The report, with a rather lengthy title is “Pomegranate juice supplementation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a 5-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.”.
The report tested a long list of blood substances, including uric acid, and no significant change was found. Of course, this type of study may reveal that uric acid levels do fall in gout patients and people with high uric acid levels, but until somebody tests for this specific relationship, we’ll never be sure.
Pomegranate juice has been reported as having other health benefits. However, you must be careful if you are taking any medication, for gout or anything else. Pomegranate juice (like grapefruit juice but more powerful) can have a significant effect on drugs that are processed by the liver. Kelly Summers concludes (in theannals.com):
as the media exposure of pomegranates as a healthy “super food” continues to increase, pharmacists may begin encountering more patients with potential drug–food interactions.
You have been warned!
If you have any more information, or questions, about this topic, please discuss in the pomegranate juice and gout forum.
Tags: anti-oxidants, pomegranate juice
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