Polyphenol Benefits

Eat more dark-skinned fruits and vegetables. Drink more 100% fruit juices, wine, and green teas. This approach has been shown to regulate energy metabolism and enhance genes that protect us.

We highly encourage you to get your polyphenols through foods, but for many a high quality supplement, like the Gene Smart Pomegranate and Green Tea Extract, to boost your polyphenol levels can help ensure that you are getting the right quantities each day.

Gene Smart Principle: Increase Polyphenols

Polyphenols are a large family that includes over 4,000 diverse compounds widely distributed in plants and their fruits. They can be found in most legumes; in fruits such as apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapes, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries; and in vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, celery, onions, and parsley. Other sources include red wine, chocolate, green tea, olive oil, bee pollen, and many grains.

The science of the class of polyphenols is at an earlier stage than fiber or omegas, but what we know is very exciting indeed. Most importantly, there is strong evidence for their ability to control gene expression, specifically the genes that control inflammation.

Polyphenols vs. Antioxidants

Among scientists, the conventional wisdom was that the health benefits of polyphenols were largely derived from their antioxidant effects. Oxidation at the cellular level is often compared to the rust that forms on metal, and is thought to contribute to both cancer and premature aging. So an entire industry sprang up around the antioxidant potential of the purple-red “superfoods.”

But this may be a case where we leapt to a conclusion about a treatment modality before we were certain of its effects.  According to the most recent study data, something other than their antioxidant properties may be contributing to the polyphenols’ benefits.

The Gene Smart Program focuses on those polyphenols that impact gene expression, as opposed to the thousands of polyphenols that merely have antioxidant activity. Gene Smart is the very first program to take this important distinction into account.