|
Three journals have recently published studies demonstrating health benefits of the patented dietary supplement Pycnogenol® (Horphag Research Ltd, Geneva, Switzerland), an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree (Pinus pinaster).
A report of a clinical trial in the June 17 edition of European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry reported Pycnogenol’s efficacy in treating symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children,1 and a trial published in the June issue of Angiology demonstrated the supplement’s ability to relieve muscle cramps and pain in athletes and diabetics.2 The third journal article, in the issue of Evidence Based Integrative Medicine printed in February 2006 (although released a year earlier), provided a review of trial results concerning the individual and combined effects of Pycnogenol and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for promoting cardiovascular health.3
The first study, performed by researchers from Comenius University in Slovakia and the University of Munster in Germany, tested children around the age of 9 at the Children University Hospital in Slovakia.1,4 Forty-one patients were randomly given Pycnogenol and 16 were given a placebo (at a level of 1 mg Pycnogenol or placebo per kg of body weight) everyday for a month. Participants were examined before and after treatment through multiple psychiatric evaluations. Test results showed that children who took Pycnogenol had significant reductions in hyperactivity and inattention and improvements in motor-visual coordination, compared to pre-trial psychiatric test scores and to children given a placebo. Tests performed one month after the study’s conclusion showed that ADHD symptoms returned to their original levels after treatment was suspended, further demonstrating the correlation between Pycnogenol and relief of ADHD.
The trial in Angiology, which consisted of 2 subparts, tested Pycogenol’s ability to treat muscle pain and cramping and was performed by researchers at L’Aquila University in Italy and at the University of Wurzburg in Germany.2,5 The first subpart examined 22 subjects who had experienced normal cramping, 21 with venous insufficiency, and 23 athletes. These trial participants were given 200 mg of Pycnogenol daily for 4 weeks and instructed to record cramping episodes before, during and after treatment. No participants were given a placebo. Researchers determined that participants who had experienced normal cramping had a 25% reduction in cramps, those with venous insufficiency had a 40% reduction in symptoms, and athletes with frequent cramping had a 13% reduction in cramps. The second study, which followed a similar protocol, focused on 22 participants with diabetic microangiopathy (a disorder of the smallest veins commonly associated with diabetes) and 25 participants with intermittent claudication (aka peripheral arterial occlusive disease [PAOD], a circulatory condition associated with poor circulation that causes the legs to easily cramp during walking). Ten of the participants with diabetic microaniopathy and 13 of the participants with PAOD were given a placebo. Participants with diabetic microangiopathy had a 20.8% reduction in pain, and those with PAOD experienced a 21% decrease in pain.
The review article by Ronald Watson, PhD, adjunct professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, analyzed some of the extensive research conducted on the cardiovascular benefits of Pycogenol and CoQ10.3,6 He ultimately found that the 2 ingredients have synergetic effects on the body. According to Dr. Watson, research has demonstrated that Pycnogenol can reduce high blood pressure, improve vein health, lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reduce platelet activity, relax artery constriction, and improve circulation. CoQ10, meanwhile, has been shown to strengthen heart muscle, support blood vessel function, provide beneficial effects on hypertension, and prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Research further indicates that patients who have used Pycnogenol and CoQ10 in combination have benefited from what appear to be the collaborative antioxidant effects. (A special blend of Pycogenol and CoQ10, called Pycno Q-10TM, is available to consumers through GNC.)
According to a press release from the North American distributor for Pycnogenol, this proprietary extract has been widely studied for the past 35 years and is the subject of more than 220 scientific and medical studies and review articles. Pycnogenol is available in more than 400 dietary supplements, multivitamins, and health products worldwide. More information about Pycnogenol, or about these recent studies, can be found at the Web site: www.pycnogenol.com. An extensive monograph on Pycnogenol reviewing its pharmacology and 14 clinical trials in tabular form can be found in The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs (American Botanical Council, 2003).
-Courtney Cavaliere
References
1. Trebaticka J, Kopasova S, Hradecna Z, Cinovsky K, Skodacek I, Suba J, Muchova J, Zitnanova I, Waczulikova I, Rohdewald P, Durackova Z. Treatment of ADHD with French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol®. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2006;(in press).
2. Vinciguerra G, Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Rohdewald P, Stuard S, Ricci A, Di Renzo A, Hosoi M, Dugall M, Ledda A, Cacchio M, Acerbi G, Fano F. Cramps and muscular pain: prevention with Pycnogenol® in normal subjects, venous patients, athletes, claudicants and in diabetic microangiopathy. Angiology. 2006;57:331-9.
3. Watson R. Nutraceutical synergism: Pycnogenol® and Coenzyme Q10 enhance cardiovascular health. Evidence Based Integrative Medicine. 2005;2:67-70.
4. New study: pine bark extract reduces ADHD symptoms in children [press release]. Hoboken, NJ: Natural Health Science Inc., June 16, 2006.
5. New research shows natural pine bark extract relieves muscle cramp and pain in athletes and diabetics [press release]. Hoboken NJ: Natural Health Science, Inc., June 15, 2006.
6. Study review shows CoQ10 and Pycnogenol® synergistically enhance cardiovascular health [press release]. Geneva, Switzerland: Horphag Ltd, February 28, 2006.
|