A polyphenol-rich pomegranate extract marketed by Euromed as Pomanox was found to support a key biomarker of longevity, a new clinical study published in Nutrients found. The extract is standardized to 30% punicalagins.

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study found that Pomanox supplementation was associated with a significant increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which has been found to support normal cell growth and repair but declines with age.

A group of 72 adults between the ages of 55 and 70 completed a 12-week protocol in which they either received a 740 mg dose of Pomanox per day or a maltodextrin placebo. Those who took the polyphenol supplement experienced a small but significant increase in circulating IGF-1 by the end of the treatment, while the levels remained unchanged in the placebo group.

“In older adults, restoring IGF-1 towards mid-physiological levels is associated with better muscle function, metabolic health and vascular integrity, which are all key to longevity and healthy aging,” said Andrea Zangara, scientific communication advisor at Euromed. “The modest rise aligns with a physiological ‘sweet spot’, complementing other findings from the same trial, including reductions in selected inflammaging markers, such as IL-6 and IL1β, lower systolic blood pressure and improvements in cognitive flexibility. Together, these results point to a coordinated impact on multiple hallmarks of aging.”

While the findings are encouraging, the researchers note that further studies are needed with larger sample sizes and for longer periods, which could also potentially yield impacts on other longevity markers like telomere length. Telomere length is relatively stable, and changes typically occur gradually over longer periods, possibly even years.

The present study was the first to assess the pomegranate extract’s impacts on circulating IGF-1 levels and telomere length, and provides important insights on how polyphenol-rich supplements and foods may impact healthy aging, the company noted.