Benefits
Blood elastase, an enzyme that breaks down skin elastin, after a sugar load
In 20 healthy adults, a 75 g glucose drink raised blood neutrophil elastase activity to about 1.7 times its starting level within an hour. When the same people took 50 mg of Dermaval 15 minutes before the glucose on another day, the rise did not occur. Elastase breaks down elastin in skin, but skin firmness or elasticity has never been measured with this product.
Pomegranate-rich polyphenol blend
The blend is dominated by punicalagins, the main polyphenols of pomegranate, at about 20% by weight, with smaller amounts of chlorogenic acids, quercetin and vitamin C. No study has measured antioxidant status in people taking Dermaval.
Mechanism of action
Neutrophil elastase inhibition
Human neutrophil elastase is an enzyme that breaks down elastin and other proteins. The blend was designed to inhibit it, and in the single human study it prevented the glucose-driven rise in blood elastase activity.
Glucose and elastase
Blood elastase activity rose after a sugar load in the study, and Dermaval did not change blood glucose levels, so the effect was not due to slower sugar absorption. The authors say the direct mechanism still needs study.
Clinical trials
Acute 3 day study in which each person served as their own control: water and an empty capsule on day 1, 75 g glucose on day 2, and 50 mg Dermaval followed by 75 g glucose on day 3. The days ran in a fixed order, no randomization or blinding is described, and FutureCeuticals funded it. (Reyes-Izquierdo et al. 2014, Nutrition and Dietary Supplements)
20 healthy adults (10 men, 10 women) aged 25 to 35 with normal BMI.
Glucose alone raised blood neutrophil elastase activity to about 171% of baseline at 60 minutes. With Dermaval first, activity stayed at 100% and 88% of baseline (P = 0.005 at 60 minutes and P = 0.03 at 120 minutes versus the glucose-only day). Blood glucose was the same on both glucose days. No skin outcome was measured.