14 DAY TRIAL // Pomegranates pack loads of antioxidants. What's more, studies have shown that they can help keep blood pressure in check and reduce the levels of glucose in the blood, which means that they lower diabetes risk.
Even so, they aren't all that popular. For starters, because they are seasonal fruits and so aren't exactly easy to come by. Besides, peeling them can prove quite a hassle and so many people prefer not to eat them at all.
Looking to deal with this problem, researcher Gabriel Cabrera Betanzos at the University of Hidalgo and his colleagues have developed a technique to turn pomegranate juice into a dust-like powder that is easily dissolved in water.
This powder, which the scientists are now looking to patent, is just as healthy as actual pomegranate juice. It packs all the right compounds to fight hypertension, reduce diabetes risk and limit damage to cells.
The only difference is that, unlike the fruits it is made from, it comes in a glass, dissolved in water. Should all go well, the researchers who developed it hope to start marketing it as early as 2016.
“We hope this project will be useful to treat serious public health problems such as diabetes and obesity,” scientist Gabriel Cabrera Betanzos explained in an interview, as cited by Science Daily.
Indeed, in appears that, in a series of experiments carried out with the help of volunteers, the powder did in fact reduce the glucose and triglycerides levels of people diagnosed with diabetes over a period of time of just two months.