London: Pomengranate is virtually nature's elixir that can help stave off heart disease, relieve stress and perk up your sex life.
A two million pounds study has found that an extract of the whole fruit - including pith, peel and seeds - was given to 60 volunteers every day for a month in the form of a capsule.
Researchers monitored the activity of chemicals in their bodies compared with those who took a placebo, the Daily Mail reported.
They found a significant decrease in a marker associated with cell damage which can cause impaired brain, muscle, liver and kidney function as well as ageing effects on the skin.
This decrease, a hitherto unknown benefit of eating pomegranate, slows down the oxidation, or 'rusting', of the DNA in cells which occurs over time, according to researchers at the private ProbelteBio lab in Murcia, Spain.
They are found in small quantities in the juice but mainly in the inedible rind, husk and white pith which has been harnessed into a pill and a drink.
Sergio Streitenberger, who led the study, funded by Pomegreat PurePlus, said: "We are very excited about this study which we believe demonstrates that regular consumption of this pomegranate extract can slow down the process of DNA oxidation.
"One way to look at ageing is to think of it as rusting, or oxidising, a damaging process. Being able to guard against this process would be a significant breakthrough."
Streitenberger's team found a decrease in levels of a chemical marker called 8-Oxo-DG in the participants' urine tests. It is tied to damage to DNA caused by a host of chemicals we eat, drink and breathe in.
Pomegranate has been renowned as a superfood for centuries and has been found to contain vitamins A, C and E as well as iron and antioxidants - chemicals which help neutralise harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals.
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