Effects of pomegranate supplementation on exercise performance and post-exercise recovery in healthy adults: a systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of literature evaluating pomegranate supplementation on exercise performance and recovery.
PubMed 30350760 · doi:10.1017/S0007114518002696
What was done
A systematic review of multiple electronic databases was performed to evaluate the effects of acute or chronic pomegranate (POM) supplementation on exercise performance, recovery, muscle damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular function in healthy adults, as well as to identify conditions altering its efficacy.
What was found
No quantitative effect sizes or counts of included studies were reported in the abstract. Qualitative synthesis showed that POM supplementation potentially improves antioxidant and anti-inflammatory status, cardiovascular function, endurance, strength, and recovery. Benefits were less likely with unilateral eccentric exercise, low-polyphenol formulations (<1.69 g/l), or ingestion within 1 hour or less before assessment.
Why it matters
It highlights the ergogenic and recovery potential of pomegranate supplementation while defining key practical constraints regarding polyphenol dosing and timing.
Limits
The abstract provides no meta-analytic effect sizes, confidence intervals, sample sizes, or quality assessments. Heterogeneity in exercise protocols and supplement formulations limits generalizability.