Pomegranates slow down the ageing process by prompting cells to recycle and rebuild themselves, a study shows.

The ruby red fruit was revered by the ancients as “food of the gods”, but it has taken until now for scientists to identify the precise chemical that holds the key to youthful ageing.

Researchers in Switzerland have isolated a single molecule – urolithin A – which they believe drives a process called mitophagy, allowing parts of the cell that become defective to be cleared away, making way for replacements.