Globally, there are millions of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and there are few long-term treatments for these diseases. A new study published in the British Journal Nature Newsletter found that eating more pomegranates can help alleviate inflammatory bowel disease.
The study was carried out by the University of Louisville in the United States and the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Bangalore, India. Clinical studies have shown that urea A, a microbial metabolite extracted from berries and pomegranates, and its newly synthesized analogues can effectively alleviate the symptoms of acute and chronic colitis. After completing many experiments in vitro and in vivo, the researchers found that small molecules such as urea A can increase the content of many key proteins in intestinal tract, enhance the connection between intestinal mucosal epithelial cells, stabilize intestinal barrier, then reduce intestinal permeability, and more effectively prevent harmful substances such as bacteria and toxins from entering blood through intestinal mucosa.
Researchers say that for a long time, it has been widely believed that urea has anti-inflammatory effects, but new research has found for the first time that the main role of urea is to repair intestinal barrier dysfunction and alleviate inflammatory bowel disease. The new findings provide a better treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. Based on this finding, the researchers suggest that eating more pomegranates and berries does help protect intestinal health.
