Health and Me

Pomegranate Compound Improves Heart Function By Up To 80% In Early Heart Failure Study

A compound your body makes after eating pomegranates, walnuts and some berries has improved heart function by up to 80% in lab models of a form of <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/heart-failure">heart failure</a></span> that's notoriously hard to treat. The finding comes from King's College London, and it's early, but it points at a problem doctors have struggled with for years.

<h2>The Condition With Few Treatments</h2>

The heart failure in question is called <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/100-blockage-at-18-25-patients-under-40-on-world-heart-day-cardiologists-reveal-an-alarming-heart-attack-pattern-article-156243737" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">heart</a> failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF. Here, the heart still pumps blood normally, but becomes too stiff to relax and fill properly between beats. It causes breathlessness, fatigue and a poorer quality of life, and accounts for roughly half of all heart failure cases in the UK, affecting nearly half a million people, according to King's College London's release, carried by <em>ScienceDaily</em>.

HFpEF has long resisted treatment because it's driven by many overlapping factors, including ageing, high blood pressure and diabetes, King's College London says. One class of diabetes drugs, called SGLT2 inhibitors, has recently changed that picture. Large trials named EMPEROR-Preserved and DELIVER found that the drugs empagliflozin and dapagliflozin cut deaths and hospital visits in HFpEF patients, and empagliflozin became the first SGLT2 inhibitor approved in the US specifically for HFpEF, according to TCTMD. But researchers still call the field wide open.

<strong>Also Read:</strong> <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/heart-valve-clips-explained-how-a-tiny-clip-can-help-repair-a-leaking-valve-article-156249382" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Heart Valve Clips Explained: How a Tiny Clip Can Help Repair a Leaking Valve</a>

Researchers led by Dr. Joseph Burgoyne found that a compound called <span>urolithin A</span> activates a protein named PKGIα, which helps blood vessels and heart muscle relax, King's says. In animal models of HFpEF, urolithin A improved heart function measures by as much as 80%, helped heart tissue relax better, and reduced fibrosis, the scarring that interferes with normal heart function. It also limited harmful enlargement of heart muscle cells.

The team then tested the compound in engineered human heart tissue grown from stem cells, a lab model that closely mimics real heart muscle. Urolithin A significantly improved relaxation there too, according to King's, suggesting the animal results might carry over to humans.

Notably, urolithin A has already been studied in people and has shown a good safety record, King's says. But your body doesn't get it directly from food. Instead, gut bacteria produce it by fermenting compounds found in pomegranates, walnuts and berries, according to the Global Prebiotic Association, a <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/nutrition/the-new-nutrition-gap-why-knowing-what-to-eat-doesnt-mean-we-actually-eat-it-article-156096737" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">nutrition</a> industry group. That means how much urolithin A a person makes can depend on which gut bacteria they have, not just what they eat.

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<h2>Not A Reason To Stock Up On Pomegranates Yet</h2>

Burgoyne was careful about what the findings mean. "While there isn't enough evidence to suggest that people should eat <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/nutrition/from-sweet-potatoes-to-brussel-sprouts-food-you-should-eat-this-autumn-article-151042397" data-type="tilCustomLink">pomegranates</a> to treat heart failure, these findings raise the possibility that dietary approaches that enhance urolithin A production may help alleviate this condition," he said, per King's.

Professor James Leiper of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, struck the same note: "These findings are promising, but the benefits have so far been seen in animals and engineered human tissue, so clinical trials involving people are needed." He added that a healthy, balanced diet is still one of the best ways to protect the heart, but "no single food can prevent or treat heart disease on its own."

Health Conditions A-Z

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Urolithin A

Pomegranate

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

HFpEF treatment

Heart Failure

Pomegranate heart benefits

Heart health research

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A compound your body makes after eating pomegranates, walnuts and some berries has improved heart function by up to 80% in lab models of a form of heart failure that's notoriously hard to treat. The finding comes from King's College London, and it's early, but it points at a problem doctors have struggled with for years.The Condition With Few TreatmentsThe heart failure in question is called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF. Here, the heart still pumps blood normally, but becomes too stiff to relax and fill properly between beats. It causes breathlessness, fatigue and a poorer quality of life, and accounts for roughly half of all heart failure cases in the UK, affecting nearly half a million people, according to King's College London's release, carried by ScienceDaily.HFpEF has long resisted treatment because it's driven by many overlapping factors, including ageing, high blood pressure and diabetes, King's College London says. One class of diabetes drugs, called SGLT2 inhibitors, has recently changed that picture. Large trials named EMPEROR-Preserved and DELIVER found that the drugs empagliflozin and dapagliflozin cut deaths and hospital visits in HFpEF patients, and empagliflozin became the first SGLT2 inhibitor approved in the US specifically for HFpEF, according to TCTMD. But researchers still call the field wide open.Also Read: Heart Valve Clips Explained: How a Tiny Clip Can Help Repair a Leaking ValveWhat The New Study FoundResearchers led by Dr. Joseph Burgoyne found that a compound called urolithin A activates a protein named PKGIα, which helps blood vessels and heart muscle relax, King's says. In animal models of HFpEF, urolithin A improved heart function measures by as much as 80%, helped heart tissue relax better, and reduced fibrosis, the scarring that interferes with normal heart function. It also limited harmful enlargement of heart muscle cells.The team then tested the compound in engineered human heart tissue grown from stem cells, a lab model that closely mimics real heart muscle. Urolithin A significantly improved relaxation there too, according to King's, suggesting the animal results might carry over to humans.Notably, urolithin A has already been studied in people and has shown a good safety record, King's says. But your body doesn't get it directly from food. Instead, gut bacteria produce it by fermenting compounds found in pomegranates, walnuts and berries, according to the Global Prebiotic Association, a nutrition industry group. That means how much urolithin A a person makes can depend on which gut bacteria they have, not just what they eat.      Not A Reason To Stock Up On Pomegranates YetBurgoyne was careful about what the findings mean. "While there isn't enough evidence to suggest that people should eat pomegranates to treat heart failure, these findings raise the possibility that dietary approaches that enhance urolithin A production may help alleviate this condition," he said, per King's.Professor James Leiper of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, struck the same note: "These findings are promising, but the benefits have so far been seen in animals and engineered human tissue, so clinical trials involving people are needed." He added that a healthy, balanced diet is still one of the best ways to protect the heart, but "no single food can prevent or treat heart disease on its own."