Pump
Pomegranate fruit powder
Pomegranate is added for blood flow, but the studies used a concentrated extract, not plain fruit powder.
How it counts: Not part of the score
We show it on the label and count it as disclosed, but it never affects Dose, any sub-score or the grade. The basis below explains why.
- Clinical dose
- No established clinical dose
- Safety ceiling
- —
- Evidence
- weak
- Category
- Pump
Evidence summary
Research confidence: low
No reference dose. Pomegranate is added to pre-workouts for blood flow (pump), from its nitrate and polyphenol content. In 19 active adults, 1,000 mg of a pomegranate extract taken 30 minutes before exercise raised arm blood flow and lengthened running time to exhaustion (Trexler 2014); a repeat in lifters found wider blood vessels and more blood flow but no extra repetitions (Roelofs 2017). Both trials used a concentrated, polyphenol-rich extract from one supplier. Plain fruit powder is dried fruit with far less polyphenol per gram, so a 500 mg scoop of powder is not comparable to the studied dose.
Research sources
- Effects of pomegranate extract on blood flow and running time to exhaustion (Trexler et al., Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2014)(opens in new window)
- Effects of pomegranate extract on blood flow and vessel diameter after high-intensity exercise in young, healthy adults (Roelofs et al., Eur J Sport Sci 2017)(opens in new window)
19 resistance-trained adults, crossover: 1,000 mg extract 30 minutes before exercise widened the brachial artery and raised blood flow after sprints and lifting; bench and leg press repetitions did not change.