A Holistic Derm's Must-Have Food For Glowing Skin & A Balanced Gut

Plenty of nutrient-dense fruits and veggies earn the skin-supporting stamp of approval, but if board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., had to pick a favorite? She fixes on pomegranate: "Pomegranate seeds are an absolute superfood for the skin,"* she says over TikTok.

You may greet the word "superfood" with an eye roll—there's no real definition of the title, after all, as it's more of a marketing term. But if any fruit deserves the crown, it's the mighty pomegranate: As Bowe explains, the nutrient-packed fruit supports your skin and gut from multiple angles.*

What makes pomegranate seeds so good for skin?

First and foremost: "They contain a substance called ellagic acid, which is a type of polyphenol," Bowe says. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that protect your body's cells (yes, including skin cells) from free radicals, which can lead to premature aging in the skin.*

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These pomegranate polyphenols "help protect your skin even from sun exposure, as well—there are clinical studies supporting that,"* notes Bowe. Take this randomized controlled trial, for instance, which found that pomegranate extract increased skin's resilience against UVB rays; or this double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which found that taking pomegranate extract orally could help with common sun-induced pigmentation.*

Finally? Pomegranate seeds are great for gut health—which, thanks to the gut-skin axis, means they're inherently great for skin as well.* According to Bowe, the tart fruit is a good source of prebiotic fiber, "balancing the microbiome in the gut and the skin." Pomegranate also promotes the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila, a good gut bacteria integrative gastroenterologist Marvin Singh, M.D., calls "one of [his] favorite microbes" in a recent mbg podcast episode. That A. muciniphila bacteria then creates the postbiotic urolithin A (UA), which is associated with enhanced mitochondrial function and energy production.*

Science jargon aside, these gut bacteria and their outputs have some pretty powerful health benefits—and it all starts with pomegranate.*

The takeaway.

Pomegranates are a common derm-favorite fruit, as the seeds are bursting with skin- and gut-health benefits—consider it yet another reason to indulge in the sweet, antioxidant-rich snack.

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