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King's College London
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Summary:
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A compound the body can make after eating pomegranates, walnuts, and some berries improved measures of heart function by up to 80% in animal models of a difficult-to-treat form of heart failure. Urolithin A helped stiff heart tissue relax and reduced scarring and abnormal enlargement. It also improved relaxation in engineered human heart tissue.
A natural compound the body produces after consuming foods such as pomegranates may improve heart function by as much as 80% in experimental models of a form of heart failure that currently has relatively few treatment options.
Researchers at King's College London found that urolithin A, which is produced in the body after eating foods including pomegranates, walnuts and some berries, can help the heart relax more effectively. The compound also reduced scarring and limited harmful enlargement of the heart.
A Difficult Form of Heart Failure to Treat
The findings could eventually benefit nearly half a million people in the UK who have a form of heart failure in which the heart can still pump blood effectively but becomes too stiff to relax properly between beats. As a result, the heart has more difficulty filling with blood.
This condition, known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, accounts for roughly half of all heart failure cases. It can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, reduced ability to exercise and a poorer overall quality of life.
For the first time, the researchers found that urolithin A activates a protein called PKGlα, which plays an important role in blood vessel function and the relaxation of heart muscle. The compound acts on a specific amino acid within the protein, triggering a pathway associated with cardiovascular benefits.
More here:
Pomegranate compound improves heart function by up to 80% in study | ScienceDaily