Nos actifs 21/01/2024
The pomegranate: sacred anti-aging champion
Consumed since Antiquity, the pomegranate is renowned for its high concentration of polyphenols. This sacred fruit, prized by traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines, is now of interest to scientists for its antioxidant and protective virtues, especially in cardiovascular diseases. Beyond its fresh and tangy flavor, the pomegranate is full of anti-aging active ingredients that preserve the youthfulness of the skin. An overview of a powerhouse that means well for you.
Symbolizing at times life, fertility, love, beauty, and abundance, the pomegranate carries a promise of health. In addition to its anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and cleansing virtues, the pomegranate proves to be an exceptional natural anti-aging product.
The pomegranate, an elixir of youth
A restorative and preventive balm against skin aging, the pomegranate was widely used in Antiquity in the making of creams, ointments, and other cosmetic products. Its high concentration of potassium and vitamins indeed contributes to good skin health, while its punicic acid protects the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin.
Abundant antioxidants
The power of the pomegranate lies in its high content of polyphenols: ellagic tannins and flavonoids. By trapping free radicals, these antioxidants help fight against the oxidative phenomenon in the skin responsible for its aging. Reinforced by the presence of vitamin E, this fruit helps combat excess free radicals, thus preserving the skin’s radiance and youthfulness.
Regenerating powers
Thanks to its richness in vitamins B and C, trace elements, and minerals, the pomegranate has the ability to regenerate the skin. By stimulating cell renewal, the pomegranate preserves tissues from premature aging and delays the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
Two exceptional anti-aging molecules
Beyond its antioxidant and regenerating virtues, the pomegranate contains two unique anti-aging molecules specific to this fruit: aquaporins and urolithin A.
Aquaporins: for intense hydration
The essential fatty acids contained in the pomegranate give it moisturizing properties that stimulate aquaporins. But what are aquaporins and what are they for? Discovered in 1992 by Peter Agre (American biologist), aquaporins are molecules that form tunnels at the cell wall level, thus promoting the circulation of water in the epidermis. If their number is deficient, the skin loses its elasticity. The pomegranate’s aquaporins therefore stimulate the opening of the skin’s water channels, thus favoring the water flow between cells. The skin is thus protected from dehydration and external aggressions.
Urolithin A: a unique molecule
Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have discovered a novel phenomenon linked to the pomegranate and its anti-aging powers (journal Nature Medicine). It is a molecule contained in the pomegranate, urolithin A, which would be capable of fighting the effects of aging once transformed by intestinal bacteria. The fruit indeed contains molecules called ellagic tannins. Once the fruit is ingested, intestinal bacteria transform these ellagic tannins into urolithin A. This molecule would be the only one capable of restoring the cleaning of mitochondria, those small energy sources that populate our cells and lose efficiency with aging. With age, this cleaning process called “mitophagy” deteriorates, dysfunctional mitochondria accumulate in cells, leading to the aging of many tissues such as muscles or skin.
Pomegranate in all its forms
For its antioxidants, its aquaporins, and its role in stimulating collagen, the pomegranate is the anti-aging champion to consume without moderation and in all its forms:
- As fresh juice
- As seeds
- In savory recipes (salad, with burrata, avocado…)
- In fruit salads
- In fruit waters
- In dietary supplements
