Benefits
Blood triglycerides and cholesterol ratios, blood markers
In 51 adults with raised blood lipids, 800 mg a day for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides from baseline, but the only difference from placebo was a lower total to HDL cholesterol ratio; total and LDL cholesterol did not change. In 80 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 g a day for 8 weeks changed no lipid measure compared with placebo.
Triglycerides after a high-fat meal
In 16 postmenopausal women, a breakfast in which 10 g of the 50 g of fat was pomegranate seed oil gave a smaller rise in blood triglycerides, the main outcome, than a control meal, along with better small blood vessel responses and a lower systolic blood pressure response. This was one meal, the control fat was mostly palm oil, and only participants were blinded.
Blood sugar and insulin markers
In 80 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 g a day for 8 weeks did not change fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c or insulin resistance versus placebo. In 52 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, 3 g a day lowered fasting glucose after adjustment, while insulin, HbA1c and insulin resistance did not differ. A pooled analysis of 15 trials of pomegranate juice, seed oil and peel products found no overall effect on insulin resistance.
Cognitive test scores in two clinical study groups
In 80 older adults with mild cognitive impairment, 5 drops a day plus a Mediterranean diet for a year gave better scores than diet alone on the main global cognition scale, but there was no placebo and other tests did not differ after correction. In 30 people with multiple sclerosis, a nano-formulated oil improved verbal learning within the treated period, with no difference in disability.
Hot flashes and menopausal symptoms
In 81 postmenopausal women, a low-dose seed oil preparation (30 mg twice daily) for 12 weeks did not reduce hot flashes more than placebo, the main result. Hot flashes were fewer at 24 weeks, and a sleep-related symptom subscore improved, while the total symptom score did not differ. An 8 week study of 1,000 mg a day without a placebo group reported lower symptom scores.
TNF-alpha, an inflammation marker
In 51 adults with raised cholesterol and triglycerides, 800 mg a day for 4 weeks did not change serum TNF-alpha, either within the group or compared with placebo. This was a 4 week trial measuring one blood marker of inflammation.
Body weight and body fat
No trial has tested pomegranate seed oil alone for weight loss. Body weight and body composition did not change in the 4 week lipid trial or the 8 week trial of 2 g a day. Xanthigen weight results come from a blend with brown seaweed extract. Two small trials of foods carrying punicic acid plus several other fats disagreed: enriched eggs reduced waist size versus control eggs, while enriched crackers did not.
Mechanism of action
Absorption and conversion to rumenic acid (CLA)
In a 28 day trial in 30 healthy young adults, 3 g a day of punicic acid (from Trichosanthes kirilowii seed kernels rather than pomegranate oil) raised punicic acid in plasma and red blood cell membranes and also raised cis-9, trans-11 CLA (rumenic acid), suggesting part of it is converted in the body. A food trial also found punicic acid rose in plasma.
PPAR activation in cells and mice
In cell experiments punicic acid raised PPAR alpha and gamma activity and bound weakly to human PPAR gamma, and in obese mice it lowered fasting glucose and inflammatory signaling, effects that depended on PPAR gamma. This is laboratory and animal work. In one human trial, GLUT-4 gene expression rose, a cell-level marker, while insulin and HbA1c did not change.
Blood vessel responses after a meal
In the single meal study, plasma nitrite, a marker of nitric oxide availability, was higher after the pomegranate seed oil meal, alongside a better response to acetylcholine, which tests the blood vessel lining. These were short-term measurements over 8 hours after one meal, so they describe a possible pathway rather than a lasting effect.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial; 400 mg pomegranate seed oil or placebo twice daily for 4 weeks; blood lipids were the stated aim; funding listed by PubMed as non-US government support (Mirmiran et al. 2010, Br J Nutr)
51 adults with raised blood lipids by National Cholesterol Education Program criteria, Tehran, Iran.
Triglycerides fell within the oil group (3.45 to 2.75 mmol/l, p = 0.009), a within-group change. Compared with placebo, the total to HDL cholesterol ratio was lower after adjustment for baseline (p < 0.05). Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, glucose and body composition did not change.
Randomized, placebo-controlled trial from the same research group with the same design, size and dose as the lipid trial; 400 mg capsules twice daily for 4 weeks; six participants excluded for complications or poor compliance (Asghari et al. 2012, Int J Food Sci Nutr)
51 adults with total cholesterol above 200 mg/dl and triglycerides above 150 mg/dl (25 oil, 26 placebo).
Serum TNF-alpha did not change significantly in either group (oil 14.73 to 13.28 pg/ml; placebo 12.46 to 13.14 pg/ml), and the authors concluded the oil did not affect it.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; 1,000 mg capsules twice daily (2 g a day) or medium-chain triglyceride placebo for 8 weeks; oil analyzed at 74.5 percent punicic acid; capsules prepared by Zahravi Inc.; registered IRCT201409031640N15; no financial support declared (Faghihimani et al. 2016, Int J Prev Med)
80 adults (28 men) aged 35 to 65 with type 2 diabetes for 5 to 10 years, all taking oral glucose-lowering drugs.
Fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), ALT, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL did not differ from placebo, and body measurements did not change. Creatinine fell more on the oil (p < 0.05). Four people on the oil stopped (rash and itching in two, stomach upset in one, upper gastrointestinal bleeding in one); three on placebo stopped.
Randomized controlled trial; three 1 g capsules a day or paraffin placebo for 8 weeks; an erratum was later published (Khajebishak et al. 2019, J Cell Physiol)
52 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes in Tabriz, Iran (26 per group).
GLUT-4 gene expression rose in the oil group. Fasting glucose and an insulin sensitivity index improved within the oil group, and fasting glucose was lower after adjusting for age, sex and baseline. Insulin, HbA1c, HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta did not change significantly. The authors reported no side effects.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; 30 mg of pomegranate seed oil preparation containing 127 micrograms of steroidal phytoestrogens, twice daily for 12 weeks, follow-up to 24 weeks (Auerbach et al. 2012, Menopause)
81 postmenopausal women who completed the trial, Vienna, Austria.
At 12 weeks hot flashes fell by 4.3 a day on the oil and 2.5 on placebo, a difference that was not significant (p = 0.17), and the authors concluded the oil did not significantly reduce hot flashes over 12 weeks. At 24 weeks hot flashes were fewer on the oil (p = 0.02). The total symptom score did not differ (p = 0.08); a subscore driven by sleep improved (p < 0.03). Hormone levels did not change and no adverse effects were reported.
Randomized comparison with no placebo, blinding not described in the paper: 5 drops a day of cold-pressed oil (Pom Star Rodi Hellas, supplied free by the company) plus a Mediterranean diet versus the diet alone for 12 months; primary outcome ADAS-cog; Bonferroni-corrected threshold p < 0.0056; no funding reported; the paper gives no registry number, and a registry entry by the same group (NCT04990362) lists 16 primary outcomes, double masking and 60 planned participants (Chatzikostopoulos et al. 2024, J Alzheimers Dis)
100 older adults with diagnosed mild cognitive impairment enrolled, 80 analyzed (40 per group), average age about 70.
On ADAS-cog, the primary measure, the oil group improved from 15.3 to 12.1 points and the diet-only group stayed near 15, a significant between-group difference at follow-up (p = 0.001). Verbal learning (RAVLT, p = 0.022) did not survive the correction, and MMSE, MoCA, Trail Making B, figure recall and daily function did not differ between groups. The abstract's larger claims for processing speed rest on within-group changes.
Small single-center randomized, double-blind crossover trial; GranaGard capsules (Granalix Bio Technologies) or soybean oil placebo for 3 months each, then open use for 6 months, added to usual treatment; the abstract does not give the dose or a between-group test (Petrou et al. 2021, Mult Scler Relat Disord)
30 people with multiple sclerosis.
Within the first 3 months on GranaGard, verbal learning (CVLT-II z score) rose from 0.891 to 1.415 (p = 0.012) and the average of three cognitive scores improved (p = 0.034), while the placebo period showed no significant change. Visual memory showed a nonsignificant trend, processing speed (SDMT) did not change, and disability scores did not differ. No serious product-related adverse effects were seen.
Randomized, single-blind (participants only), controlled crossover study; 50 g fat breakfast in which 10 g was pomegranate seed oil (Pödör USA Inc.) versus a palm, rapeseed and safflower oil control; registered NCT06042673; PhD studentship from King Abdulaziz University, no specific grant (Almoraie et al. 2026, J Nutr)
16 postmenopausal women aged 49 to 64 at low cardiovascular risk who completed both visits (21 randomized).
The triglyceride response over 8 hours, the primary outcome, was smaller after the oil meal (AUC p = 0.030; incremental AUC p = 0.005). Endothelium-dependent vessel reactivity was greater, and systolic blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and sICAM-1 responses were lower. Glucose, insulin, apoB and free fatty acid responses did not differ. Many secondary outcomes were tested.