The effect of Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) extract on inflammatory biomarkers, lipid profile and glycemic indices in patients with overweight and obesity: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial

Objectives: The study was designed to determine the effect of thirty days of pomegranate extract oral supplementation on plasma inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers as well as serum metabolic profiles, in overweight and obese individuals. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study 48 obese and overweight participants were randomly assigned to receive either 1000 mg of pomegranate extract (PE), or a placebo (PL), daily for 30 days. At baseline, and after 30 days of treatment, anthropometric parameters, dietary intake, plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hyper sensitive-C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and levels of serum lipids, glucose and insulin were assessed. Results: Thirty days of PE supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in mean serum levels of glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and plasma MDA, IL-6 and hs-CRP. HDL-C significantly increased following the PE versus the PL intervention. Conclusion: Our study suggests that pomegranate extract consumption may reduce complications linked with obesity through ameliorating the systemic inflammation and lipid profile. Future studies with larger sample size are required to verify these results.