Pomegranate extract may help in childbirth

We recently reported that pomegranates may help prevent breast cancer, and now it seems this "super-food" could also help women who are experiencing difficulty in childbirth.

Scientists from the University of Liverpool have found that pomegranates can help stimulate contractions during labour - this is potentially good news, as the current treatment for a poorly contracting uterus, oxytocin, is only effective in around half of all cases.

Professor Sue Wray, who led the study, said the "...previous study has suggested that the pomegranate's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have a positive impact on health. We wanted to understand its effect on uterine contractions to help us explore new ways of treating women who may experience difficult labours."

By taking a highly concentrated extract from the seeds of the fruit, scientists discovered that the main ingredient was beta-sitosterol, a steroid found in many plant species. By adding this extract to animal cells they found that the muscle activity increased. This seemed to be due to a rise in calcium, which is necessary in order for any muscle to contract, but is usually affected by hormones, nerve impulses and some drug treatments.

The researchers hope that this means pomegranate extract could be used as a natural stimulant to encourage the uterus to contract during labour. The next step will be to investigate how beta-sitosterol in pomegranate extract could increase calcium, as this could lead to a new form of treatment in childbirth.

The study used pomegranate seed extract, which is more highly concentrated than pomegranate juice. More research is needed to determine if eating the fruit or drinking its juice has any impact on uterine contractions.

The study was reported in the journal Reproductive Sciences.

This article was published on Thu 28 January 2010