Pomegranate: A promising avenue against the most common chronic diseases and their associated risk factors (Review)
Alessandro Lavoro, Luca Falzone, Giuseppe Gattuso, Rossella Salemi, Giovanni Cultrera, Gian Marco Leone, Giuseppa Scandurra, Saverio Candido, Massimo Libra
Abstract
Pomegranate is an important source of several bioactive compounds with beneficial properties. As widely described in the literature, pomegranate can be considered as a functional food able to promote the maintenance of a good health status. The present review article summarizes the properties of pomegranate, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, prebiotic and anticancer effects, as well as its protective role against metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Pomegranate and its phytocompounds can prevent the development of several chronic diseases. Additionally, pomegranate can be considered an adjunct for current therapeutic strategies able to improve the standard treatment efficacy and reduce side-effects. However, further studies are required in order to better clarify the mechanisms of action and the synergistic effects of the phytochemicals contained in pomegranate. According to the current data, pomegranate may be a promising avenue against the most common chronic diseases, including cancer.