A symbol of fertility since ancient times, the pomegranate has always been part of man’s therapeutic arsenal. Now science is taking an interest and its antioxidant properties are being studied.

Let’s take a quick look at what antioxidants are. They’re molecules that are found in a lot of foods, which have the ability to capture the free radicals responsible for ageing. Antioxidants also help to reduce cholesterol levels, and to prevent cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Researchers at the EPFL University in Lausanne, Switzerland, got interested in the pomegranate’s antioxidant qualities. They carried out experiments with the C. elegans roundworm, which is often used in studies of ageing because its lifespan is 8.1 days; and with mice and rats.

A bit of science

The pomegranate’s secret is in one of its molecules, ellagitannin. When digested, ellagitannin turns into urolithin, which boosts mitochondrial recycling, a process which slows down with age. Mitochondria give cells the energy they need to function. Thanks to urolithin, the mitochondria get back in shape, and recapture their youth.

It works on mice

According to the EPFL study, the lifespan of the worms and mice was increased by 45%. Would the same apply to humans? Without going quite that far, Professor Johan Auwerx, the co-author of the study, says “if species that are evolutionarily quite distant react to the same substance in the same way, that’s a good indication that we’re touching here on an essential mechanism in living organisms.” However the fruit itself does not contain urilithin, which appears only after digestion, and the researchers also say that this process of transformation in the gut may be very different, or even non-existent, from one individual to the next.

A health cocktail

Whether your stomach plays its role properly or not, there’s no need to delay eating this handsome and wholesome fruit. It’s loaded with sunshine and good qualities, and it’s the proud bearer of a long history. The simplest way to take it is in the form of juice. A pomegranate can be squeezed like an orange, using a simple manual squeezer so the seeds don’t explode. Mixed with fresh orange juice, pomegranate juice makes a 100% youth-and-health cocktail for first thing in the morning.

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