Fruit and vegetables have always done big business but fashions and tastes change, just look at pomegranates. It used to be that whatever the hottest TV chef was cooking with would fly off the shelves now it is the health gurus.

Pomegranate juice is a case in point, once it was only found in ethnic supermarkets but now it has become main stream in a big way because it has been found to be packed full of ant-oxidants, polyphenols and other vitamins. Many of the big companies involved with growing or processing fruit and vegetables are funding research to try to get their product in the vanguard of health, able to cure all. They have grown tired of the orange boys flooding the breakfast table with their juice on the back of its vitamin C content.

It has to be said that at the same time there has been some excellent independent research going on into the constituents of the food we eat and how it affects the body.

Pomegranates are the latest and, some would say greatest so far in the health field. Research being carried out around the world has been impressive, even if it is at the first stages.

At a lab at Cape Western Reserve University of Medicine they have found that the pomegranate has something in it that counters the effect of an inflammatory chemical called interleukin-1b which is a contributory factor in arthritis. They have also found that the pomegranate can reduce the production of some enzymes that destroy the cartilage that covers the bones which leads to osteoarthritis. This research is still in the laboratory stage and has not been tested with humans but it is looking hopeful.

There is work being done in Israel and London on the pomegranates ability to reduce LDL which is the fatty deposits which line the arteries and causes heart disease and strokes. Preliminary research has indicated that just one glass of pomegranate juice a day will have a significant effect on your cholesterol level.

The big news is that pomegranates are looking to be beneficial in the fight against cancer. In England and Germany, tests have shown that it has an effect in fighting cancer cells under laboratory conditions. Whilst at UCLA they have found that taking 8ozs of pomegranate juice a day can slow the return of prostate cancer in men. The sample group was quite small; only 50 men who had received treatment for the cancer, but by drinking pomegranate juice it had slowed the return of the cancer by a very significant amount.

It is too soon to start throwing your medicine away but on the face of it a glass of pomegranate juice a day may be beneficial for your overall health. If you are on any medication, it is always advisable to consult with your doctor to make sure that it will not interrupt the effect of the drugs you are taking. Now get down to the store before they run out.