International pharmaceutical company Euromed has revealed the results of two clinical studies showing the health benefits of its pomegranate and olive oil extracts Pomanox and Mediteanox.
The first - a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study by researchers from the Clinical Nutrition Department of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid - saw 67 middle-aged healthy adults given either capsules containing Mediteanox and Pomanox or a placebo for eight weeks.
The supplement comprised 9.9 mg of hydroxytyrosol from the natural olive fruit extract Mediteanox and 195 mg of punicalagin from Pomanox, a full spectrum polyphenol pomegranate whole-fruit extract standardised for punicalagins.
The report states that supplementation with the extracts enhanced endothelial function particularly in those affected by endothelial dysfunction (this controls vascular relaxation and contraction, blood clotting, immune function and platelet adhesion), as well as reducing the harmful cholesterol oxLDL (oxidised low-density lipoprotein), compared with the placebo.
All subjects demonstrated lowered blood pressure but the prehypertension and hypertension participants showed significantly decreased blood pressure after taking the supplement.
The researchers concluded that the Mediteanox and Pomanox supplement exerted blood flow supporting effects by improving endothelial function, blood pressure and levels of circulating oxLDL, especially in those whose conditions fluctuate from the norm.
Sports nutrition
A second study, by the Department of Exercise Physiology at San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia in Spain, demonstrated that supplementation with Pomanox may be linked with improvement in sports performance and recovery.
The randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover trial investigated whether the pomegranate extract could improve the peak performance of trained amateur cyclists (26 completed the study) after an exhausting endurance trial.
The researchers concluded that 14 days of Pomanox supplementation significantly increased the time to exhaustion and the time to reach the second ventilatory threshold in a maximal test, after a long endurance effort, compared with a placebo.
According to the authors, this shows that both maximal and submaximal performance increased after taking the supplement.
Background
Endothelial dysfunction is greatly underdiagnosed in the general population, but plays a major role in the early stages of poor blood circulation and is later associated with plaque progression and the occurrence of cardiovascular events.
Euromed argues that supplementation with Mediteanox and Pomanox may therefore represent an interesting additional strategy in maintaining blood flow and hearth health.
Andrea Zangara, scientific marketing manager at Euromed, says: "Mediteanox and Pomanox, both available in different formats and strengths, are extracted using safe and eco-friendly, water-only technologies (Pure-Hydro Process); they are, therefore, pure and free from any contaminants and organic solvent residuals or toxins.
"Their production is vertically integrated and they originate from selected fruits grown locally in the Mediterranean region — close to the manufacturing plant — according to strict and transparent quality control protocols. In summary, they are ideal for inclusion in premium dietary supplements, functional foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.”
Sources:
Nutrients
Quirós-Fernández R., et al.
"Supplementation with Hydroxytyrosol and Punicalagin Improves Early Atherosclerosis Markers Involved in the Asymptomatic Phase of Atherosclerosis in the Adult Population: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial"
DOI: 10.3390/nu11030640
Nutrients
Torregrosa-García A., et al.
"Pomegranate Extract Improves Maximal Performance of Trained Cyclists after an Exhausting Endurance Trial: A Randomised Controlled Trial"