A Story For the Heart

Last week a friend of mine who is recovering from a heart valve repair received a bottle of pomegranate juice as a get well gift. The pomegranate gift was perfect. Pomegranates contain polyphenols with powerful antioxidant properties. The touted health benefits of pomegranate juice are sometimes loosely and broadly stated, so I wanted to bring sound information and studies that are particularly interesting for divers.

Here is a link to nearly 300 studies found at the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The American Heart Association shares a potential warning about drug interactions with pomegranate juice similar to grapefruit juice, and recipes for women’s heart health mentioning the benefits of folic acid and vitamin C found in pomegranate juice.  Studies and discussions center around the heart, blood, cancers and diabetes.  One major conclusion is that there doesn’t seem to be any adverse effects of pomegranate juice consumption regardless of whether studies prove the benefits.

There does seem to be a clear indication that more research will add to the existing data showing benefits of consuming pomegranate juice as part of a healthy diet may include helping to reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol, slow prostate cancer and limit atherosclerosis.  Remember, antioxidants help counteract free radicals (damaged cells that can lead to disease).

There’s more to the story . . .

My friend’s surgery was two-weeks ago and he is already walking three miles a day and has returned to half days at work. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Hemp, Chief Surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego with the assistance of da Vinci robotics. A few years ago, one of my fitness clients also received the same surgery by Dr. Hemp. Having personally observed the results and recovery from this less invasive method of heart surgery, I encourage anyone anticipating surgery to research the da Vinci method to see if it is an appropriate option.  I have also had an opportunity to meet Dr. Hemp.  He is a highly respected, trusted surgeon, and a remarkable individual. Dr. Hemp and his team at Scripps have made an amazing contribution to the quality of life for both my friend and my client. Watch this video to learn more: Community Lecture for Robot-Assisted Cardiothoracic Surgery (Part 1 of 3) – James Hemp, MD