Pomegranates reduce brain inflammation, helping protect against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and neurological disease

I bet nothing from these earlier research articles prodded your doctor to include them in a diet protocol. I do cranberry/pomegranate juice instead of OJ. 

Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation  June 2004 

Effects of pomegranate juice on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials  Jan. 2017 

Effects of pomegranate juice on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Dec. 2016

Can pomegranates protect the brain from dementia? Sept. 2016

Pomegranate ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease-type neurodegeneration in tg 2576 mouse model (846.1) April 2014

 The latest here:

Pomegranates reduce brain inflammation, helping protect against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and neurological disease

(NaturalNews) New research conducted by the University of Huddersfield, a public university located in West Yorkshire, England, suggests that a chemical compound found in pomegranates can slow degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia occur when brain cells become inflamed, causing them to lose their ability to function and communicate. The cells eventually die off, causing irreversible changes in the brain. Alzheimer's affects more than 44 million people globally, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with a diagnosis typically live an average of eight years; however, some people can live up to 20 years after diagnosis depending on their condition.

Nearly everything that is known about this debilitating disease has been learned over the past 15 years, but a cure does not yet exist. Doctors can only treat Alzheimer's patients by prescribing medicines intended to help curb symptoms and impede the progression of the disease.

However, the results of a two-year study led by Dr. Olumayokun Olajide could offer new hope for those suffering from a variety of illnesses including cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia and other neurological diseases.

Dr. Olajide specializes in the study of herbs and other natural products. He attributes his interest in natural health to his childhood.

"African mothers normally treat sick children with natural substances such as herbs. My mum certainly used a lot of those substances," said Dr. Olajide. "And then I went on to study pharmacology!"

Dr. Olajide received his PhD from the University of Ibadan in his native Nigeria following his investigation into the anti-inflammatory properties of natural products.

Along with four PhD students from the Department of Pharmacy, Dr. Olajide isolated brain cells from rats in order to test their findings, and what they discovered is that punicalagin, a polyphenol found in pomegranates, can slow inflammation in specialized brain cells known as microglia.

Polyphenols, the most abundant antioxidants in our diets, were rarely studied before 1995, but today, evidence suggests that polyphenols greatly contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancers, osteoporosis and diabetes.

Pomegranate's anti-inflammatory properties are found in its rich pigmented skin

Decreasing neuroinflammation helps slow memory loss in the frontal lobe, which is responsible for short-term memory. According to Live Strong, this section of the brain is responsible for "temporarily storing and manipulating information needed to carry out cognitive tasks such as learning," which tends to be most affected by Alzheimer's.

Similar to blueberries, the healthy antioxidants in pomegranates are stored in their skin, not the inner soft part of the fruit. Dr. Olajide and his team of researchers are unsure of how much of the pomegranate's antioxidants are required to be effective, but they are confident that producing compound derivatives of punicalagin could be the basis of a new orally administrated drug designed to treat neuroinflammation.

"But we do know that regular intake and regular consumption of pomegranate has a lot of health benefits -- including prevention of neuro-inflammation related to dementia," said Dr. Olajide.

Consuming juice products made with 100 percent pomegranate, about 3.4 percent of which is punicalagin, can help slow memory loss, confusion, disorientation and other symptoms associated with dementia.

Dr. Olajide's research will be published in the latest edition of the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. He will also be speaking about his findings at academic conferences in the year to come.

Pomegranates offer a variety of health benefits

In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, pomegranates are also known to reduce cholesterol by inhibiting inflammatory activity in mast cells, which are found in connective tissue and release histamines during inflammation and allergic reactions.

Because pomegranates contain a large number phytochemicals that stimulate estrogen and serotonin receptors in the body, as reported by Natural News, they can improve mood by reducing feelings of sadness and depression. Some suggest that consuming the fruit daily can even help fight chemical imbalances in the brain.

Effects of a Pomegranate Fruit Extract rich in punicalagin on oxidation-sensitive genes and eNOS activity at sites of perturbed shear stress and atherogenesis

So maybe pomegranate and watermelon juice could naturally reduce your plaque. What does your doctor think?
http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/2/414.short
The following line from the full text;
Regular pomegranate juice administered to hypertensive patients caused
a significant drop in blood pressure [26], a reduction in carotid plaque development [27] 
The abstract here:

1. Filomena de Nigris^a,^b,
2. Sharon Williams-Ignarro^c,
3. Vincenzo Sica^a,^b,
4. Lilach O. Lerman^d,
5. Francesco P. D'Armiento^e,
6. Russell E. Byrns^f,
7. Amelia Casamassimi^a,^b,
8. Daniela Carpentiero^a,
9. Concetta Schiano^a,
10. Daigo Sumi^f,
11. Carmela Fiorito^a,
12. Louis J. Ignarro^f and
13. Claudio Napoli^a,^b,*

+ Author Affiliations

1. ^aDepartment of General Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Naples, 80134 Italy
2. ^bExcellence Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, II University of Naples, Italy
3. ^cDivision of Anesthesiology University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
4. ^dDivision of Hypertension, Mayo Clinic Foundation, Rochester, MN 55095, United States
5. ^eDepartment of Human Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Naples, 80134 Italy
6. ^fDivision of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States

1. *Corresponding author. Department of General Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Naples, 80134 Italy. Email address: claunap@tin.it

• Received April 14, 2006.
• Revision received August 19, 2006.
• Accepted August 25, 2006.

Abstract

Background: Atherosclerosis is enhanced in arterial segments exposed to disturbed flow. Perturbed shear stress increases the expression of oxidation-sensitive responsive genes (such as ELK-1 and p-CREB). Polyphenolic antioxidants contained in the juice derived from the pomegranate contribute to the reduction of oxidative stress and atherogenesis during disturbed shear stress.

Aim of the study: To evaluate the effects of intervention with the Pomegranate Fruit Extract (PFE) rich in polyphones (punicalagin, which is a potent antioxidant) on ELK-1, p-CREB, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression induced by high shear stress in vitro and in vivo.

Results: At the doses used in the study, both the PFE and the regular pomegranate juice concentrate reduced the activation of ELK-1 and p-CREB and increased eNOS expression (which was decreased by perturbed shear stress) in cultured human endothelial cells and in atherosclerosis-prone areas of hypercholesterolemic mice. PFE and pomegranate juice increased cyclic GMP levels while there was no significant effect of both compounds on the conversion of l-arginine to l-citrulline. Administration of these compounds to hypercholesterolemic mice significantly reduced the progression of atherosclerosis and isoprostane levels and increased nitrates. This protective effect was relevant with PFE. Vasomotor reactivity was improved and EC₂₅ values in response to Ach and NONOate were significantly increased in treated mice in comparison to controls.

Conclusion: This study indicates that the proatherogenic effects induced by perturbed shear stress can be also reversed by chronic administration of PFE.