A plant antioxidant from pomegranates, walnuts, and berries, usually taken as pomegranate extract. The strongest human evidence shows modest blood sugar and blood fat improvements in people with metabolic problems. Its hoped-for longevity benefits come from a gut-made compound only about a third of people produce efficiently, and remain unproven. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard Approach

100–500 mg daily

Ellagic acid equivalents, usually via standardized pomegranate extract

Timing

With a meal

Improves tolerability; once-daily or split twice daily both acceptable

Starting Dose

Start low, titrate up

Begin ~100–250 mg, increase over 1–2 weeks if tolerated

Time to effect

Metabolic Changes

4–12 weeks

Glucose and lipid improvements emerge gradually with continuous use

Benefits

Medium: Improved glucose and insulin markers; improved lipid profile

Low: Reduced blood pressure; lower inflammatory and oxidative markers; reduced body fat and waist circumference

Speculative: Mitochondrial and longevity effects via urolithin A; cancer risk reduction; cognitive and neuroprotective effects

Contraindications

Pregnant and breastfeeding individuals

People scheduled for surgery within 2 weeks

Those on narrow-therapeutic-index drugs (e.g., warfarin, tacrolimus) without medical supervision

Key Interactions

Prescription drugs metabolized by liver enzymes (e.g., statins such as simvastatin, certain blood-pressure medications, immunosuppressants)

Blood-thinning and antiplatelet medications (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel)

Over-the-counter medications (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen)

Iron supplements

Additive-effect supplements (e.g., berberine, chromium, beetroot/nitrate, magnesium)

Direct urolithin A supplements

Risk & Side Effects

Low: Gastrointestinal discomfort; drug-metabolism interactions

Speculative: Reduced absorption of other nutrients; pro-oxidant effects at high doses

Monitoring

Marker	Target	Why
Fasting blood glucose	70–85 mg/dL	Tracks the most consistently reported human benefit
HbA1c	<5.3%	Longer-term glucose control marker
Triglycerides	<80 mg/dL	Lipid marker shown to fall with ellagic acid
HDL cholesterol	>50 mg/dL (women), >45 mg/dL (men)	Reported to rise, especially in men
LDL cholesterol	<100 mg/dL	Reported to fall in pooled trials
hs-CRP	<1.0 mg/L	Captures the anti-inflammatory effect
Blood pressure	<120/80 mmHg	Modestly reduced in metabolic-syndrome trial

Cadence: Baseline before starting; ongoing labs at ~8–12 weeks, then every 6–12 months

Qualitative Assessment

Energy levels and exercise endurance
Digestive comfort (to detect tolerability problems early)
General sense of metabolic well-being and appetite regulation

Ellagic Acid for Health & Longevity

Protocol

Benefits

Risk & Side Effects

Monitoring

Qualitative Assessment