Pomegranate Juice: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Pomegranate juice is pressed from the seeds with their juicy coverings (arils) of Punica granatum (family Lythraceae). It is sold bottled, from concentrate, or fresh-pressed. People drink it for its tart taste and for research on blood pressure and heart health. This page covers the juice as a drink. It keeps juice apart from extracts and capsules, which were used in some trials, and from the whole fruit (see the pomegranate page). Information only.

Read this first

• If you take warfarin or other medicines, ask a pharmacist or prescriber before making this juice a regular drink. A case report, a review of warfarin and fruit, and a lab-and-clinical review raise a possible interaction. It is not proven. [12] [13] [14]
• It is a sugary drink. One cup has about 31 g of sugars and about 134 kcal, with almost no fiber. [1] WHO counts sugars in fruit juice as free sugars. [16]
• Blood pressure: pooled trials of the juice found systolic pressure about 5 mmHg lower, but the authors report the benefit was lost after about two months of intake. [3] It does not replace medicine.
• Allergic reactions have been reported. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [2]
• Evidence in one line: small, uneven changes in blood pressure, blood sugar markers and blood fats. No good evidence that the juice treats or prevents any disease.

What is in it (USDA values)

The values are for bottled pomegranate juice (USDA FoodData Central item 167787, SR Legacy). [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 cup (249 g).

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with brand and blending. The serving figures are the 100 g values multiplied by 2.49. [1] Unlike orange juice, bottled pomegranate juice has almost no vitamin C by USDA data. [1] We did not read a source naming the plant compounds measured in the juice, so we do not list any.

What research says

We did not check funding in every study; the abstracts we read for the pooled analyses and trials do not state it. We did not find a pooled trial showing pomegranate juice prevents heart attacks or cancer ("Proper evidence not found in the sources we read").

Eaten as food vs taken as juice, extract or supplement. The blood pressure and fat results above are mostly for juice. [3] [7] The prostate trial mostly tested an extract, which is a different product. [10] For the whole fruit and its arils, see the pomegranate page.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion is 1 cup (249 g), about 8 fl oz, with about 134 kcal. [1] The NHS says no more than 150 ml of juice, smoothies and vegetable juice combined counts toward 5 A DAY in a day. [17] WHO says free sugars should stay under 10% of daily energy and that fruit juices count. [16] The trials used various amounts; the analysis of juice trials said amounts above 300 ml a day did not lower systolic pressure further. [3] This is information, not a prescription.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Warfarin and other blood thinners: a case report described a possible interaction with warfarin, and the authors say it does not definitively prove the juice caused it. [12] A review of warfarin and fruit lists pomegranate juice among fruits in suspected reports and says the evidence is scarce. [13] Tell your prescriber about regular juice.
• Other medicines: a 2023 review says lab and animal studies show pomegranate juice reduces the activity of two drug-processing enzymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2C9) and increased the absorption of several drugs in animals, while the clinical studies tested only single doses. [14] What this means for you depends on the medicine; a pharmacist can check. FDA's grapefruit notice does not mention pomegranate. [15] See medicine interactions with foods and grapefruit and medicines.
• Vitamin K: the juice has about 26 mcg per cup by USDA data. [1] We did not find a source linking the juice's vitamin K to warfarin dosing, so we make no claim.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: NCCIH says drinking the juice may be safe, and little is known about other forms or plant parts. [2] See foods in pregnancy.
• Side effects and plant parts: NCCIH says there are usually no side effects, though some people have digestive symptoms, and that root, stem and peel may not be safe in large amounts. [2]
• Diabetes and sugar: one cup has about 33 g of carbohydrate. [1] Ask a clinician or dietitian. See foods for blood sugar control.
• Kidney disease: one cup has about 533 mg of potassium. [1] We did not read a source with pomegranate-juice-specific kidney advice. See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Unpasteurized juice: FDA says untreated juice can carry harmful bacteria; children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk. [18]
• Children: we did not read an age-specific source for this juice; see the general juice guidance on fruit juice vs whole fruit.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Check the label: some "pomegranate" drinks are blends with other juices or have added sugar; USDA's values are for plain bottled juice. [1]
• Choose pasteurized juice if you are in a higher-risk group. FDA says packaged untreated juice must be refrigerated and carry a warning, but juice sold by the glass does not need one. [18]
• We did not read storage advice specific to pomegranate juice beyond what is on the label.

Related pages

• Pomegranate (fruit and juice)
• Foods and medicine interactions: vitamin K, grapefruit and others
• Foods for blood pressure
• Fruit juice vs whole fruit
• Cranberry juice
• Foods and medicines: grapefruit