Aug 29, 2019
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/z6pAYo_JlkU
Babies at risk for abnormal brain development showed improved tissue microstructure and better functional connectivity when their pregnant mothers consumed pomegranate juice on a daily basis. These startling results of a preliminary study are being rushed into publication by neonatologists at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The team there conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind study of 78 pregnant women whose developing babies were diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction at 24-34 weeks. These growth issues are associated with placental malfunction.
Half the group received a 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily while the controls were served a placebo with an identical taste and color. Pomegranate juice’s anti-oxidant polyphenols are known to cross both the placenta and the blood-brain barrier.
When the neonate brains were analyzed with MRIs at 36-41 weeks, those babies whose mothers received the pomegranate juice were spared some negative neurologic effects of their placental insufficiency. Though their brains were no larger than controls, they showed improved structure and function.
The Brigham team is currently mounting a larger study to confirm and extend these results. Meanwhile, pregnant women with known intrauterine growth problems will almost certainly benefit from daily pomegranate juice.
Lillian G. Matthews, Christopher D. Smyser, Sara Cherkerzian, etal. Maternal pomegranate juice intake and brain structure and function in infants with intrauterine growth restriction: A randomized controlled pilot study. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (8): e0219596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219596
#IUGR #pomegranate #intrauterinegrowthrestriction #placentalinsufficiency