What are the Health Benefits of Pomegranate juice for Men?

Pomegranates are nutrient-dense fruits that have been consumed for thousands of years and widely celebrated for their health benefits.

In recent years, pomegranate juice, in particular, has gotten attention for its purported health benefits – especially for men (or those assigned male at birth). Some have even called pomegranate juice a “man’s secret weapon.”

In this article, we’ll evaluate this claim and tell you everything you need to know about pomegranate juice and male health.

Pomegranate Juice is Packed With Essential Nutrients

The first thing you ought to know about pomegranate juice is that it's positively packed with nutrients that your body needs to thrive. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that pomegranate contains vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, and more – all important nutrients in a healthy diet. While the pomegranate nutrients can be good for most anybody, they seem to work particular wonders in the health of men. Two of pomegranate’s qualities stand out as especially beneficial: its abundant supply of vitamin C and its antioxidant effects.

Vitamin C Richness

Vitamin C supports your health in a variety of ways, including my supporting a healthy immune system. Vitamin C also plays a key role in the production of nitric oxide. Increased nitric oxide improves the flow of blood to your muscles, thereby promoting the healthy functioning of your body generally.

Antioxidant Effects

Pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants, which play an important role in combating harmful free radicals that can lead to health problems. Studies have found that pomegranate juice can have up to three times more antioxidants than some of the most well known sources of antioxidants, like green tea.

Boosts Testosterone and Supports Male Fertility

There is good evidence to suggest that pomegranate juice can boost testosterone and support male fertility. This study, for example, found that consuming pomegranate juice was associated with increases in salivary testosterone levels. When considering pomegranate juice’s benefits for sexual health, you need to look at its effect on blood flow and sperm quality.

Enhanced Blood Flow

As mentioned above, pomegranate is rich in vitamin C, which your body needs to create nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, in turn, helps promote blood flow to the muscles in your body.

Well, what’s this got to do with male fertility? Improved blood flow also means that more blood will flow to the penis, supporting a healthy male sex life.

Improved Sperm Quality

This animal study investigated the effects on pomegranate juice on sperm quality. The findings were clear: Rats who consumed pomegranate juice experienced in sperm quality and density. While more studies are needed – particularly studies of humans – these findings are a good sign for men who want to try pomegranate juice to improve fertility.

Fortifies Heart Health and Reduces Risk Factors

As mentioned, pomegranate juice can boost your body’s nitric oxide levels and, by extension, improve your body’s blood flow. Of course, healthy blood vessels and healthy blood flow are good for your heart!

Pomegranate juice is good for your heart for other reasons, too. Pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals – even more so than other fruit juices on the market. It’s little wonder, then, that animal studies have found pomegranate juice to have “cardioprotective properties” – in other words, it has nutrients that support heart health.

Pomegranate juice can also regulate blood pressure and may even help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Energizes and Elevates Exercise Performance

Now that we understand how pomegranate juice can support blood flow and heart health, it should be no surprise that pomegranate juice is also good for exercise performance!

Amplified Endurance and Optimized Sports Performance

This study of trained cyclists found that pomegranate extract helped amplify the cyclists’ endurance. The study found a statistically significant difference between the pomegranate group and the placebo group when comparing “total time to exhaustion” and “time to reach ventilatory threshold.” The pomegranate group fared far better. This study of people running on a treadmill yielded similar results: the pomegranate group experienced improved blood flow and were able to run for longer before reaching exhaustion. Per this study, pomegranate juice can also support exercise in another way – by promoting muscle recovery and proper sleep.

Promotes Brain Function

Pomegranate juice is also good for your brain! That’s because, as mentioned, pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants – meaning it can protect your brain against issues stemming from oxidative stress. Moreover, this study found that pomegranate helped improve memory in healthy middle-aged and older adults.

Boosts Urinary Health

Some studies have found that pomegranate extract can help support the health of your kidneys, which in turn supports urinary health. This benefit, like so many of pomegranate’s health benefits, is largely attributable to pomegranate’s rich antioxidant properties.

Supports Digestive Wellness

On top of everything else, per the findings of this study, pomegranate juice can also support digestive health and wellness. There are a number of animal studies – including this one – that suggest pomegranate can support gut health. And furthermore, test-tube studies have found that pomegranate can help boost levels of good bacteria in the gut.

Enjoying Pomegranate: Tips and Considerations

Daily Pomegranate Juice Intake

There’s no standard recommended dose for daily pomegranate intake. But it’s considered safe and healthy to drink between 8 and 12 ounces per day. If you’re wondering about how much to take, though, you can talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian. Whenever drinking pomegranate juice, you should try to be sure you’re avoiding brands that include a bunch of unhealthy added sugar.

Best Time to Consume Pomegranate

There’s no best time to consume pomegranate juice. Have some with breakfast, have some with dinner – it’s really your call, based on your taste and preference!

Potential Side Effects

It’s very uncommon for people to experience side effects from pomegranate juice. That said, some people are allergic to pomegranates – if this describes you, you should probably avoid drinking pomegranate juice.

Of course, moderation is key with most anything you consume. If you’re thinking of adding pomegranate juice to your routine, just be sure you’re drinking a reasonable amount; 8-12 ounces per day is a safe bet. Then enjoy the benefits!

The Bottom Line

Pomegranate juice boasts a range of health benefits for just about anybody, but especially for men. If you’re a man and you’re looking to improve blood flow, exercise performance, sexual health and fertility, testosterone levels, and more, then pomegranate juice is for you. Just be sure you’re drinking concentrate juice and avoiding pesky sugars. If you have any questions about adding pomegranate juice to your diet, don’t hesitate to reach out to a medical professional.