Pomegranate
Now recognized as a powerful source
of phytonutrients,
Pomegranate contains high levels of punicalagins; powerful antioxidants used to
standardize the potency of pomegranate juice and extracts.†
pomegranate has concentrated antioxidant benefits for diseases of aging.
Pomegranate is now recognized as a powerful source of phytonutrients that can
help prevent diseases of aging and promote
healthy skin. Research from around the world confirms that pomegranate is one of
nature's most concentrated source of antioxidants. One pomegranate delivers 40%
of the adult daily vitamin C requirement. It is also a rich source of folic
acid.†
Now it's possible to obtain the full spectrum of polyphenol found in whole pomegranate fruit in a dry powder extract.

RESEARCH
Extract of pomegranate is essentially ellagic acid, a by-product of the juice extraction process. Ellagic acid has been shown in published studies to absorb into the body when consumed as ellagitannins such as punicalagins. The synergy of punicalagin and free ellagic acid -- two types of ellagitannins found only in pomegranate -- enhances the antioxidant capacity.” 1
HEART HEALTH
For years, scientists have believed that antioxidants and other nutrients can slow additional atherosclerotic plaque buildup. But once plaque has already formed, the belief was that there was little that could be done. Now an exciting study from Israel indicates that pomegranate can actually reduce existing plaque formations in the arteries.2
Pomegranate appears to further benefits cardiovascular health by inhibiting LDL oxidation, reducing blood pressure, and quenching oxidative stress.†
Pomegranate helps protect cardiovascular health by augmenting nitric oxide, which supports the functioning of endothelial cells that line the arterial walls. Nitric Oxide signals vascular smooth muscle to relax, thereby increasing blood flow through arteries and veins. Nitric oxide reduces injury to the vessel walls, which also helps prevent the development of athersclerosis.3
CANCER
Scientists have traditionally advocate phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, such as curcumin and green tea, to help fight cancer. New evidence suggests that pomegranate may be similarly effective in countering cancer's growth and spread.
Research suggests that pomegranate juice may be effective against prostate cancer. In men treated for prostate cancer, pomegranate dramatically slows PSA doubling time, significantly delaying disease progression.†
Pomegranate may also help reduce the risk of colon, lung, and breast cancers. Pomegranate supplementation reduced the number and size of experimentally induced colon tumors in animal subjects.4
In laboratory tests, pomegranate inhibited the growth and replication of human lung cancer cells. Similarly, laboratory tests with pomegranate extract inhibited human breast cancer cells' ability to proliferate and spread to other areas (metastasize) and induce programmed cell death.5
HEALTHY SKIN
Other studies have demonstrated that pomegranate helps reverse visible signs of aging by promoting a moderate thickening of the skin's epidermis. Pomegranate fruit extract also provides nutritional support for fibroblast cells in the skin's dermis; fibroblasts produce collagen and elastin, the critical structural fibers that provide the skin with support and flexibility. Pomegranate extract also increased dermal cell proliferation and collagen synthesis at the same time.6
Pomegranate extract thus helps protect the skin against the threats of ultraviolet light and inflammation, while supporting its underlying structure and helping to restore it youthful appearance and function.†
NOTES:
1 Absorption, metabolism, and antioxidant effects of pomegranate (Punic granatum 1.) polyphenols after ingestion of a standardized extract in healthy human volunteers. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=search&term=pomegranate]
2 Aviram M. Rosenblat M, Gaitini D, et al. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intimamedia thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;23(3):423-33..
3 Ignarro L3 Ignarro LJ, Cirino G. Casini A, Napoli C. Nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the vascular system: an overview. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1999 Dec;34 (6): 879-86.
4 Kohno H, Suzuki R, Yasui Y, Hosokawa M, Miyashita K, Tanaka T. Pomegranate seed oil rich in conjugated linolenic acid suppresses chemically induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. Cancer Sci. 2004 Jun;95(6):481-6.
5 Khan N, Hadi N, Afaq F, Syed DN, Kweon MH, Mukhtar H. Pomegranate fruit extract inhibits prosurvival pathways in human A549 lung carcinoma cells and tumor growth in athymic nude mice. Carcinogenesis 2006 Aug 18; [Epub ahead of print]
6 Aslam MN, Lansky EP, Varani J. Pomegranate fractions promote proliferation and procollagen synthesis and inhibit matrix metalloproteinase-1 production in human skin cells. J Ethnopharmacol 2006;103:311-8.
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