Study finds pomegranate compound improves heart function by 80%
Calling all pomegranate lovers: a new study offers an exciting look into how your favorite fruit interacts with the body. Researchers at King's College London have found that a compound produced after eating pomegranates could improve key aspects of "stiff heart"—including tissue scarring, abnormal enlargement, and stiffness—by up to 80% in experimental lab models.
Pomegranates spark the production of an important natural compound
What makes the study notable is that it focuses on what the fruit sparks your body to produce rather than just the fruit itself.
When you eat pomegranates, gut bacteria digest their polyphenols to produce a natural compound called urolithin A. In lab experiments involving mice and engineered human heart tissue, urolithin A helped stiff heart tissue relax and significantly boosted cellular energy function.
Stiff heart negatively affects the quality of life
While pomegranates offer various dietary benefits, researchers are particularly hopeful about urolithin A's impact on stiff heart—medically known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Currently, treatment options for this condition are limited.
For those diagnosed with HFpEF, the condition severely impacts quality of life, leading to chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, and a reduced ability to exercise.
Because stiff heart typically affects older adults who also manage high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity, finding targeted treatments has proven uniquely challenging for cardiologists.
A condition that affects many people
In the U.S., heart disease remains the leading cause of death across most demographics, with CDC statistics showing that one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease.
"This type of heart failure is becoming increasingly common as populations age and rates of obesity and diabetes rise," said Dr. Joseph Burgoyne, senior author of the study at King's College London. "Despite its growing burden, treatment options remain limited because the disease is complex and varies considerably between patients."
Add pomegranates to your grocery list
While these findings are promising, researchers emphasize that eating pomegranates is a healthy habit rather than a direct cure or substitute for medical treatment. Not everyone's gut microbiome produces urolithin A at the same rates, and clinical human trials are still needed to determine effective therapeutic doses.
Still, adding antioxidant-rich foods like pomegranates, walnuts, and berries to your grocery list remains a great step for overall cardiovascular health.
Sources: ScienceDaily, CDC
