Urolithin A

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Connected to · 2

synergy · 1

Gut Microbiome
The ellagitannins in pomegranate and similar foods become urolithin A only through particular gut bacteria that some people have; without those bacteria, eating pomegranate does not produce the molecule.

contrast · 1

NMN / NR
NMN and NR top up the supply of the coenzyme NAD+; urolithin A takes a different route, dismantling damaged mitochondria through mitophagy. The two anti-aging routes are not the same thing; urolithin A's first human trial had safety as its primary endpoint and found molecular signals related to mitochondria.

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Pomegranates don't contain it

EVIDENCEMECH 1

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Urolithin A is not in the pomegranate. Some of the bacteria in your gut make it. Pomegranates, walnuts and some berries carry a family of plant polyphenols called ellagitannins; after you eat them, certain gut microbes have to take them apart and rebuild them into urolithin A (UA). The fruit does not hold the finished molecule.

So shelf copy that says "pomegranate fights aging" skips the microbes in the middle: without them, the same fruit does not make this molecule.

Educational content, not medical advice. See a clinician about your own case.

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