Pomegranate and Hemodialysis Pilot Trial

There are currently more than 400,000 patients receiving chronic dialysis therapy in the United States. Cardiovascular and infectious diseases are the leading causes of death in hemodialysis patients, accounting for over 50% of all-cause mortality. There is a complex interaction of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction in contributing to cardiovascular and infectious risk in dialysis patients. Since there is much evidence that an increase in oxidative stress contributes to risk of disease in dialysis patients, it is logical to hypothesize the antioxidant therapy may be beneficial in reducing these risks. In addition to vitamins C and E, the most common and active antioxidant compounds that occur naturally in foods are flavonoids. Dietary flavonoids are highly bioavailable, and have been shown to confer antioxidant protection, inhibit platelet activation, exert vasorelaxant effects, and reduce inflammation in human studies. In animal model studies, dietary flavonoids have been shown to reduce the development of atherosclerosis. Polyphenols also have potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities. Pomegranate juice is a rich source of potent phenolic antioxidants, which have been demonstrated to have anti-atherogenic and vasorelaxant properties. Pomegranate derived polyphenols have also been demonstrated to inhibit platelet activation. Although available data are limited, several studies suggest that dietary phenols may have beneficial effects in patients undergoing dialysis treatment. These include improvements in lipoprotein profiles, reductions in circulating inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, reductions in infectious complications, and improvements in inflammatory biomarkers. These observations, though limited, suggest that polyphenol based supplementation strategies may be effective in reducing complications in those undergoing dialysis treatment. In this study, the investigators will administer pomegranate juice and/or fruit extract as a targeted antioxidant therapy. The investigators will examine whether these pomegranate products will be safe and well-tolerated. The investigators will also examine whether these products may lead to improvements in biomarkers of oxidative stress status, inflammatory status, and endothelial dysfunction in hemodialysis patients.