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Ellagic acid

Ellagic acid is a naturally occurring substance. The best food sources of ellagic acid are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and walnuts. In the medical field, ellagic acid is used to prevent cancer and treat viral and bacterial infections.

How does ellagic acid work?

Ellagicacid may bind chemicals that cause cancer and it may also prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, ellagic acid is poorly absorbed by the body and is also rapidly excreted. These characteristics may limit its usefulness as a medicine.

How effective is ellagic acid?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of ellagic acid in the treatment of viral and bacterial infections, as well as its use in the prevention of cancer. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of ellagic acid in these applications.

Safety and side effects

There is not enough information to say whether ellagic acid is safe and harmless or what side effects it may have.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of ellagic acid during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid ellagic acid.

Interactions

There is currently no information on interactions between ellagic acid and medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of ellagic acid depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for ellagic acid. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Anderson KJ, Teuber SS, Gobeille A, et al. Walnut polyphenolics inhibit in vitro human plasma and LDL oxidation. J Nutr 2001;131:2837-42.
  2. Barch DH, Rundhaugen LM, Stoner GD, et al. Structure-function relationships of the dietary anticarcinogen ellagic acid. Carcinogenesis 1996;17:265-9.
  3. Constantinou A, Stoner GD, Mehta R, et al. The dietary anticancer agent ellagic acid is a potent inhibitor of DNA topoisomerases in vitro. Nutr Cancer 1995;23:121-30.
  4. Dell'Agli M, Parapini S, Basilico N, et al. In vitro studies on the mechanism of action of two compounds with antiplasmodial activity: ellagic acid and 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl(6'-O-aalloyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside. Planta Med 2003;69:162-4.
  5. Mullen W, Stewart AJ, Lean ME, et al. Effect of freezing and storage on the phenolics, ellagitannins, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity of red raspberries. J Agric Food Chem 2002;508:5197-201.
  6. Priyadarsini KI, Khopde SM, Kumar SS, Mohan H. Free radical studies of ellagic acid, a natural phenolic antioxidant. J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:2200-6.
  7. Xu Y, Deng JZ, Ma J, et al. DNA damaging activity of ellagic acid derivatives. Bioorg Med Chem 2003;11:1593-6.