Pomegranate helps fight heart disease, relieves stress and improves sex life - now it's nature's elixir of youth, claims study.

研究结果显示，石榴可以帮助对抗心脏病，缓解压力，提高性生活质量。简直就是大自然的长生不老药。

It can help to prevent heart disease, relieve stress and has even been shown to improve your sex life.

石榴可以防止心脏病，缓解压力，甚至可以提高性生活质量。

And if that was not enough to convince you to try pomegranate, the fruit is now being hailed as the elixir of youth.

如果这些都还不足以说服你尝尝石榴，那么我要告诉你：石榴现在已经被誉为是永葆青春的长生不老药。

A £2million study has found a daily dose could slow the ageing process of DNA.

一项花费200万英镑的实验研究发现，每天吃一点石榴，可以延缓DNA的老化速过程。

An extract of the whole fruit – including pith, peel and seeds – was given to 60 volunteers every day for a month in the form of a capsule.

研究者每天为60位参与者每人发放一枚“石榴胶囊”，胶囊里是用整颗石榴榨成的汁（里面包括果核和果皮），坚持服用一个月。

Researchers monitored the activity of chemicals in their bodies compared with those who took a placebo.

研究者监测了参与者体内化学物质的活动，并与服用空白对照剂的对照组进行比较。

They found a significant decrease in a marker associated with cell damage, which can cause impaired brain, muscle, liver and kidney function as well as ageing effects on the skin.

他们发现与细胞损伤相关的一处标记出现了显著的下降。这种细胞损伤会造成大脑、肌肉、肝脏和肾脏功能的损害，还会造成皮肤的老化。

This decrease – a hitherto unknown benefit of consuming pomegranate – is thought to slow down the oxidation, or ‘rusting’, of the DNA in cells which naturally occurs over time, according to researchers at the private ProbelteBio laboratory in Murcia, Spain.

根据西班牙穆尔西亚ProbelteBio私人实验室的研究学者们的观点，这种因为食用石榴带来的下降现象虽然目前原因未知，但是他们认为应该是减缓了细胞内DNA的氧化速度。

Dr Sergio Streitenberger, who led the study, said: ‘We are very excited about this study which we believe demonstrates that regular consumption of this pomegranate extract can slow down the process of DNA oxidation.

组织研究的Sergio Streitenberger博士表示：“我们很兴奋这个研究证实了我们之前的猜想，那就是长期食用这种石榴汁可以减缓DNA的氧化过程。”

'One way to look at ageing is to think of it as rusting, or oxidising, a damaging process. Being able to guard against this process would be a significant breakthrough.’

“我们可以把老化现象想成是身体生锈氧化的损伤过程。能够预防这个氧化过程将会是很重要的一次突破。”

Dr Streitenberger’s team – whose study will be published later this month – found a decrease in levels of a chemical marker called 8-Oxo-DG in the participants’ urine tests.

Sergio Streitenberger博士团队的研究成果将于本月晚些时候发布。他们在对研究参与者进行的尿液测试中发现一种名叫8-Oxo-DG化学标识出现了各水平上的下降。

It is associated with damage to DNA caused by a host of chemicals we eat, drink and breathe in.

这种化学标识与DNA损伤有关。我们食用、饮用和呼吸进入体内的许多化学物质都会造成DNA损伤。

Pomegranate has been renowned as a superfood for centuries, and has been found to contain vitamins A, C and E as well as iron and antioxidants – chemicals which help neutralise harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals.

长期以来石榴都有超级食物的美誉，富含维生素A、维生素C和维生素E，还有铁和抗氧化剂，作为抗氧化剂的这些化学物质可以帮助身体中和学名为自由基的有害氧分子。

Last year, researchers at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh found pomegranate juice could combat middle-aged spread and even reduce stress at work.

去年位于爱丁堡市的玛格丽特皇后大学的研究者们通过研究发现，石榴汁可以抵抗中年发胖，还能减轻工作压力。