Pomegranate: Its health effects from the Holy Quran and nutrition science view

Background and Healthy eating has prominent value in Islam. The Quran, after considering the human food, has been stated about plants. The pomegranate with scientific name Punicagranatum L. and Quran name Al-Roman is given three times in the Holy Quran. This fruit due to the many bioactive components has important role in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. The aim of this study was the review of beneficial effects of pomegranate point to the Quran and nutrition science. In this review study, after meditation on the verses of the Quran and all papers submitted at the scientific information data base including PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar from the years 2000 to 2014 with key words pomegranate, Islam, disease, nutrition and Quran, the results obtained and discussed. The effective components of pomegranate act in the prevention of cancers through different mechanisms such as inactivation of pro-inflammatory enzymes, suppression of tumor growth and upregulation of tumor suppressor proteins. Inhibition of enzymes involved in the oxidation and synthesis of fat and increasing of production, secretion and sensitivity of insulin from pancreatic beta cells are the most important mechanisms involved in the reduction of fat and glucose, respectively. Anti-obesity effect of the pomegranate is related to the inhibition of pancreatic lipase enzyme and its anti-infective effect is associated to the inhibition the growth of bacteria. Considering emphasizes of Quran on the beneficial effects of pomegranate as well as the existence of enough scientific evidence about its prevention effects, the using of this fruit in diet is suggested.