Many of us have believed that pomegranate juice like POM Wonderful and POMx supplements treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer or erectile dysfunction?  The simple truth is that this assertion has been called into question and might not be true!

According to the Federal Trade Commission and a decision by a U.S. federal court, pomegranate juice and supplements might not be the heaven sent elixir we have been led to believe. In a decision by the FTC: The company POM Wonderful that makes POM cannot state such claims in their advertising.

This FTC decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which declined to review the court ruling that upheld the FTC decision. As it now stands, POM and its owners are guilty of misleading us in the advertising of their products.

Steven Clark, vice president of corporate communications for The Wonderful Company, said in a statement that POM Wonderful is committed to “honest, transparent communication with consumers everywhere,” pointing to the fact that the FTC questioned just 36 of the company’s about 600 ads. “We continue to stand behind our efforts to publicly convey valuable information about the health benefits of POM, as well as the $40 million in peer-reviewed, scientific research we’ve conducted regarding the power of this amazing fresh fruit,” he said.

In evaluating Mr. Clark’s response I want to remind you that the number of adds in question is not the issue, only those ads that reported the health benefits which have none been removed. Also, remember that the general rule is that research that is financed by a company that stands to have a direct benefit always needs to be looked at with serious skepticism