u/ptx100

There is only one case report I could find on PubMed of the reversal of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to a normal state in an otherwise healthy patient. A 63 year old female had a 4.30 × 3.24 cm aneurysm that reduced to a normal 2 × 2.15 cm (anteroposterior and transverse diameters). See the case report on PubMed: Spontaneous regression of the abdominal aortic aneurysm in a middle age female patient; Vascular. 2020 Aug;28(4):481-484.

I may be the second case. I was diagnosed in 2019 by ultrasound with an AAA of 4.4 cm diameter, after getting an abdominal ultrasound due to unrelated abdominal muscle pain. At that time there were preliminary medical papers published about the chemicals in plant-derived polyphenols possibly treating induced AAAs in mice. Since that time there has been more research confirming those findings. There are now many peer-reviewed papers online about the chemicals in polyphenols possibly strengthening blood vessels, and other studies on treating AAA in mice and rats with the chemicals found in polyphenols, both orally and with nanoparticle delivery (there are several chemicals such as pentagalloyl glucose, epigallocatechin gallate, catechins, etc.). There are no human trials that I could find as of 2026, though I assume some may be planned based on these research findings. For the papers, enter the following in PubMed (the NIH biomedical paper search website) or just Google:

abdominal aortic aneurysm polyphenol (or polyphenols)

For example (two of over 21 medical papers I previously found on the subject):

Prevention of abdominal aortic aneurysm progression by oral administration of green tea polyphenol in a rat model. J Vasc Surg. 2017 Jun;65(6):1803-1812

Towards Precritical Medical Therapy of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Biomedicines. 2022 Nov 29;10(12):3066

(See section 4.1, Dietary Polyphenols)

"From a mechanistic point of view, diet polyphenols may potentially interfere through their antioxidant properties with many factors involved in AAA development by: reducing inflammation [17]; restoring endothelial function, [18] which is known to be altered in AAA [19]; decreasing DNA global methylation [20,21]; and protecting against telomere attrition [22,23]."

In 2020, with doctor's approval, I started taking non-prescription low-dosage polyphenol extract supplements (listed below), along with doctor-prescribed atorvastatin, losartan, and carvedilol, the latter three medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure - which is a standard treatment to slow progression of AAA. (Other similar cholesterol and blood pressure prescription meds may be preferred by doctors for various reasons.) The polyphenol extract supplements are now widely available at health food stores.

As confirmed by ultrasound tests at an accredited imaging center (and confirmed in 2026 by ultrasound at a vascular surgery office) the AAA gradually decreased from maximum diameter of 4.4 cm (2019) to 4.0 cm (2022) to 2.9 cm (2024) to 2.8 cm (2025), so it is no longer considered an aneurysm. I have discussed this extensively with my primary care doctor, a consulting cardiologist, and one of the radiologists, and there is no error. Yes, my primary care doctor and all the other medical providers are surprised by this reduction in the aneurysm, and were all interested in the medical research on polyphenols and AAA.

Other than the AAA and moderately-high previous high blood pressure, I am a fairly healthy 67 year old male of normal weight, exercise regularly, and have no history of smoking, However, I do have non-smoking blood relatives who had other types of blood vessel aneurysms successfully treated before rupture with surgery (besides smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, family history is one of the risk factors).

The polyphenol supplements I take (available at health food stores, and at some pharmacies and grocers) are listed at the bottom below. I obviously don't know if these supplements have caused the reduction in the AAA. But perhaps others with AAA under 5.5 cm (the surgical threshold) would like to discuss the polyphenol research for AAA on PubMed with their doctor and give these plant-derived polyphenol supplements a try. And also obviously continue to take your prescribed blood pressure and cholesterol meds and get regular ultrasounds per the recommended schedule based on the AAA diameter.

Since 2020 I have been taking a different brand-name polyphenol supplement from the list of seven every day (six years now) at the lower dosages available, since the liver has to process polyphenols. For safe supplement dosages just do a Google search on the name of the supplement below and "safe dosage." For example, online dosage information says to limit green tea extract dosage to 300 mg/day; or instead you can just drink green tea regularly, hot or cold (it contains the polyphenol chemical epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]).

Also check with your doctor and online for possible interactions with your prescription meds, particularly blood thinners. According to information online, most of these supplements have mild blood antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant properties, so they should probably not be taken with prescription blood thinners like warfarin and daily low-dose aspirin. For that same reason online information says they should be discontinued two weeks before any surgery, including dental surgery. Again, since I take one per day, I take the lowest dosages of these supplements that I can find at the health food stores.

Per my doctor's instructions I will be continuing annual ultrasound measurements. If the diameter decreases more (2.8 cm currently), perhaps my primary care doctor will submit a case report. At this point he is not recommending a CT scan for additional confirmation due to the radiation exposure, versus no radiation with the ultrasound scans.

Polyphenol supplements (available at health food stores, and at some pharmacies and grocers):

-pomegranate extract

-green tea extract

-turmeric extract

-quercetin extract

-grape seed extract

-resveratrol

-Pycnogenol or similar pine bark extract