How can pomegranate seeds help my skin?

Pomegranate seeds are an antiaging, skin-protecting, cancer-fighting powerhouse. Each bittersweet seed is packed with anthocyanins, vitamin C, lycopene, and resveratrol. Research in humans has shown that the juice reduces several risk factors for heart disease and inhibits tumor growth. But the star of the show, beauty-wise, is ellagic acid.

"Ellagic acid increases the body's built-in supply of glutathione, an antioxidant that both protects DNA and helps recycle estrogen, which protects skin cells. It also inhibits certain enzymes in ways that give cells time to divide normally," explains Los Angeles dermatologist Howard Murad, MD, who has been putting pomegranate extract in his line of skin care products for years.

The ancient Greeks believed that eating this "apple of many seeds" might lead to immortality. And, hey, anything that keeps skin cells plump a little longer, maintains a healthier heart, and holds promise for preventing cancer has got to be good, right?

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