Pomegranate extract may help regulate appetite and curb food intake, research uncovers

22 Sep 2022 --- The polyphenol-rich pomegranate extract Pomanox can increase satiety and the feeling of fullness while reducing the desire to eat following meals. According to a new study, this may present novel treatments and approaches to treating obesity and obesity-related illnesses.

“Overeating is very common and often a consequence of stress, leading to weight gain and feelings of failure, anxiety,” Andrea Zangara, scientific marketing manager at Euromed, tells NutritionInsight.

The pomegranate extract in Pomanox decreased hunger and increased the feeling of fullness following meals.“We are expanding our Mediterranean line and our research plans,” says the spokesperson. “A new product for joint health extracted from cucumbers will be launched next.”

Establishing a baseline
The three-week, placebo-controlled, independent study conducted at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland, included 28 male and female participants from 18 to 65 years of age. All of the participants had a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 34.9 kg/m2 and no history of cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

The participants were split into two groups of 14 and given either a Pomanox pomegranate extract capsule with 210 mg of punicalagin and 328 mg of polyphenols or a placebo pill. The volunteers then took the pills before breakfast and lunch every day for three weeks and came back to the university for testing on the last day of the third week. 

They were further asked not to change their diet or habits during the trial but were requested to refrain from drinking alcohol and extra physical activity on the day before testing. 

“On week three, satiety parameters were determined on the testing day after participants ingested a breakfast and a lunch meal with pomegranate juice (PJ) or placebo juice,” explains Zangara. 

“The study found an overall significant difference between the groups with the Pomanox group experiencing significantly greater satisfaction and feeling of fullness than those in the placebo group.”

Hunger suppressing nutrients
The results reveal that the participants who took Pomanox not only felt less hungry and had higher levels of satisfaction and fullness than the placebo group, but they also enjoyed the smell of the food more than the placebo group, according to the individually subjective questionnaires. This implies that the test group enjoyed the meal more than the placebo group as well.

“These findings suggest that consumption of PE could have the potential to modulate satiety indicators, adding support to the already ample scientific evidence indicating it improves both the management and outcomes of metabolic and cardiovascular issues,” underscores Zangara. The polyphenols in the pomegranate extract may also help regulate glucose production and lipid metabolism.

“Decreasing blood pressure and increasing satiety, regulating glucose and lipid metabolism as well as targeting adipocyte differentiation, reducing stress hormones and balancing insulin, thus assisting holistically in the management of cardiovascular and metabolic health and weight management,” he explains.

“The findings, moreover, suggest these fruit components may improve our eating experience, supporting satisfaction and promoting frugality without compromising on satisfaction or pleasure.”

Free radicals to the rescue
The researchers further explain that dietary antioxidants and free radicals within the PE may be the mechanism by which the supplement curbs appetite.

“As satiation is directly linked to total energy intake, then antioxidant and polyphenol consumption may possess possible mechanisms which could assist in food intake restriction,” Zangara elaborates. “We already know plant components as the polyphenols provide regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism as well as targeting adipocyte differentiation.”

“Dietary polyphenols may also lower growth of the adipose tissue through their antiangiogenic activity,” he concludes. “One well-recognized approach for limiting food intake is to replicate the signaling effects of a full gut or the effects of a recent meal.”

By William Bradford Nichols