Submitted by Angie on Tue 09/28/2010

You’ve seen the ads and the supermarket aisles flooded with all things-pomegranate. It’s the latest in the over-hyped super foods department. While pomegranate juice is good for you, so far it has been touted to: cure cancer, boost sperm quality, cure erectile dysfunction, boost your sex drive and lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and eradicate premature deliveries. It’s not quite that good. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission just filed a complaint against POM Wonderful, a leading pomegranate juice manufacturere. The agency called POM’s claims — found in advertisements in print publications and on the Internet — “false and unsubstantiated” and based on flawed medical research. Among the advertising claims the FTC is challenging are that the product has “super health powers,” that drinking an 8 ounce glass of POM Wonderful slows the rate of prostate cancer, that the juice can treat erectile dysfunction and that it has been proven reduce arterial plaque by 30 percent. “Any consumer who sees POM Wonderful products as a silver bullet against disease has been misled,” David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “When a company touts scientific research in its advertising, the research must squarely support the claims made. Contrary to POM Wonderful’s advertising, the available scientific information does not prove that POM juice or POMx effectively treats or prevents these illnesses.” The bottom line? If you like pomegranate juice, drink it. It’s a little pricey, but adding a variety of fruits and veggies to your diet is a good thing.