Abstract
- Background
Chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation significantly increases morbidity and substantially impacts healthy aging trajectories among older adults. Pomegranate extract (PE), which is exceptionally rich in bioactive polyphenols, has been widely suggested to attenuate systemic inflammation and offer protective potential against cardiovascular diseases. However, despite its promising therapeutic profile, empirical clinical research examining the specific efficacy of PE in disease prevention and physiological support during human aging remains limited. This double-blind parallel clinical trial was designed to evaluate the physiological effects of daily pomegranate extract supplementation on systemic inflammatory biomarkers, blood pressure parameters, and metabolic profiles in older adult populations.
- Methods
A rigorous two-arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel clinical trial was conducted over a 12-week intervention period. A total of 86 eligible older adult participants met the inclusion criteria, of whom 76 successfully completed the trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either daily placebo capsules (maltodextrin) or standardized pomegranate extract (740 mg) daily. Comprehensive clinical evaluations—including anthropometric measurements, systemic blood pressure readings, and fasting blood samples—were systematically collected at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Analyzed endpoints encompassed serum inflammatory cytokines and markers (such as interleukin-6 [IL-6], interleukin-1 alpha [IL-$1\alpha$], interleukin-1 beta [IL-$1\beta$], interleukin-2 [IL-2], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-$\alpha$], C-reactive protein [CRP], and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 [PAI-1]), alongside fasting blood glucose levels and circulating lipid profiles.
- Results
Following the 12-week intervention, significant physiological improvements were observed in the pomegranate extract (PE) group compared to the placebo cohort:
Attenuation of Inflammatory Markers: A statistically significant interaction between treatment and time was observed for circulating IL-6 ($P = 0.02$) and IL-$1\beta$ ($P = 0.05$) levels, with both key inflammatory parameters demonstrating significant reductions specifically within the PE intervention group. While CRP and TNF-$\alpha$ exhibited downward trends in the PE cohort, these changes did not reach statistical significance ($P > 0.05$).
Blood Pressure Reduction: Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the PE group (by a clinically relevant mean of 5.22 ± 1.26 mmHg [SE], $P = 0.04$), while diastolic blood pressure demonstrated a concordant downward trend (reduction of 2.94 ± 1.08 mmHg [SE], $P = 0.3$).
Baseline Clinical Insights: Despite being classified as apparently healthy with no formally diagnosed chronic diseases at baseline, a substantial proportion of the study participants exhibited elevated baseline levels of systemic inflammatory markers and elevated systolic blood pressure.
The intervention was safe and well-tolerated throughout the 3-month duration.
- Conclusions
Daily supplementation with pomegranate extract (PE) effectively lowers key circulating inflammatory markers and reduces systolic blood pressure—parameters that can be pathologically elevated in both normal-weight and overweight older adults. These empirical findings establish PE as a safe, accessible, and cost-effective nutritional intervention to promote healthy aging and cardiovascular resilience. Future long-term clinical studies are warranted to address current limitations, such as the overrepresentation of normal-weight participants, and to further elucidate the precise impact of body weight on these therapeutic outcomes.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11990117/