SynthesisNutrition journal2017
Lack of efficacy of pomegranate supplementation for glucose management, insulin levels and sensitivity: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrition journal, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of pomegranate products on glycemic profile in adults: a GRADE- assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Dietary Polyphenols in Type 2 Diabetes: A Metabolite-Centric Review of Human Evidence.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Polyphenol Consumption and Its Association with Physical and Mental Health in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Pomegranate peel anthocyanins prevent diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in association with modulation of the gut microbiota in mice.European journal of nutrition · 2022Article
- Pharmacotherapeutic potential of pomegranate in age-related neurological disorders.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Review
- Ellagic Acid Suppresses ApoB Secretion and Enhances ApoA-1 Secretion from Human Hepatoma Cells, HepG2.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- An 8-week freeze-dried blueberry supplement impacts immune-related pathways: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Genes & nutrition · 2021Article
- Polyphenols Rich Diets and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Therapeutic Potential of Pomegranate in Metabolic Disorders.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2021Review
- Ellagic Acid as a Tool to Limit the Diabetes Burden: Updated Evidence.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Effects of Polyphenols on Insulin Resistance.Nutrients · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe potential glucose-lowering effects of pomegranate have been reported in animal and observational studies, but intervention studies in humans have generated mixed results. In this paper, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the precise effects of pomegranate supplementation on measures of glucose control, insulin levels and insulin sensitivity in humans.
methodsComprehensive electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies included were RCTs that evaluated the changes in diabetes biomarkers among adults (≥18 years) following pomegranate interventions. The predefined outcomes included fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FBI), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Endpoints were calculated as weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using a random-effects model. Publication bias, subgroup analyses, sensitivity analysis and random-effects meta-regression were also performed to explore the influence of covariates on the net changes in fasting glucose and insulin concentrations.
resultsSixteen eligible trials with 538 subjects were included. The pooled estimates suggested that pomegranate did not significantly affect the measures of FBG (WMD, -0.6 mg/dL; 95% CI, -2.79 to 1.58; P=0.59), FBI (WMD, 0.29 μIU/mL; 95% CI, -1.16 to 1.75; P=0.70), HOMA-IR (WMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.53 to 0.46; P=0.88) or HbA1c (WMD, -0.11%; 95% CI, -0.39 to -0.18; P=0.46). Overall, significant heterogeneity was detected for FBI and HOMA-IR, but subgroup analysis could not identify factors significantly influencing these parameters. These results were robust in sensitivity analysis, and no significant publication bias was found in the current meta-analysis.
conclusionPomegranate intake did not show a notably favourable effect on improvements in glucose and insulin metabolism. The current evidence suggests that daily pomegranate supplementation is not recommended as a potential therapeutic strategy in glycemic management. Further large-scale RCTs with longer duration are required to confirm these results.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.