Dr Amir Khan urges everyone to add 1 fruit to their diet to ‘boost health’

Dr Amir Khan has shared there’s one fruit that you may not be eating regularly but, if you add it to your diet, it could have a whole host of health benefits for you

If boosting your health is something you want to do this year, Dr Amir Khan has shared that there is a fruit you should add to your diet that you’re probably not regularly eating at the moment. We all know that we should be aiming to eat five fruits and vegetables every single day, according to the NHS, but eating fruit that is “in season” will make the experience a lot more pleasant for you.

Dr Amir said that it’s “pomegranate season” as he showed off the “beautiful” fruit. “But the beauty isn’t just skin deep. Pomegranates have loads of health benefits, too,” he shared.

“They’re exceptionally high in antioxidants, which can help us protect ourselves from damage done from things, like cigarette smoking and air pollution.

“Specific antioxidants in pomegranate include panallergens, anthocyanins and ellagitannins,” he explained.

He shared that “small studies have suggested that pomegranate may have some anti-cancer properties,” but more research is needed to be able to say this “definitively”.

Pomegranate can also “improve heart health,” according to the doctor, as he explained that, in a 2022 review of 10 of the most commonly bought fruits and “their effects on cardiovascular disease”, researchers found that pomegranate and pomegranate juice “can have significant benefits for improving a number of heart conditions, including high blood pressure, and damage done by cholesterol”.

He continued to explain that pomegranates have antioxidants called ellagitannin, and they are “believed to produce a compound in the gut called urolithin A, which is being studied for its ability to reduce inflammation in the brain, and perhaps delay the onset of cognitive disease”.

Dr Amir said: “They also have plenty of vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium, all of which are really good for our health, so it’s important to include some pomegranate in a well-balanced diet while it’s still in season”.

What are the benefits of pomegranate?

According to Healthline, they’re packed with nutrients, and pomegranates are low in calories and fat but high in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

They’re rich in antioxidants, and getting antioxidants from fruits such as pomegranates is a great way to support overall health and prevent disease.

Eating pomegranates may help prevent the inflammation associated with some chronic conditions. As Dr Amir noted, they may also have anti-cancer properties, but more research needs to be done.

There is evidence that fruits rich in polyphenolic compounds, such as pomegranate, may benefit heart health.

For example, in a study on people with heart disease, drinking pomegranate juice reduced the frequency and severity of chest pain, as well as certain biomarkers that suggest a protective effect on heart health.

Test-tube and human studies have found that pomegranate extract may help reduce the formation of kidney stones and may have antimicrobial properties, too, as well as potentially help your gut microbiome.

The polyphenols in pomegranates may increase exercise endurance. One small study found that pomegranate extract increased time to exhaustion and improved performance in trained cyclists.

They also reduce inflammation, and ellagitannins found in pomegranate may protect the brain against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease by reducing oxidative damage and increasing the survival of brain cells, but more research is needed.