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Pycnogenol Provides
Free-Radical Insurance
June 28 , 2006
In chemistry 101 class, you may have learned that free radicals are unstable particles that are missing an electron. These particles seek out and steal electrons from complete particles, in turn converting those particles into free radicals. This proliferation of free radicals in reaction with oxygen is called oxidation. When it happens to iron, it is called rusting, or slow oxidation. When it happens to anything that catches fire, it is called burning, or rapid oxidation. This time-honored process is also happening in our bodies, and in order to minimize it we have to stop breathing altogether. (Just kidding !) An extra helping of antioxidants should do the trick.
Overproduction of
Free-Radicals Harmful to Our Health
Free radicals do serve a function, as they help kill some harmful bacteria.
However, due to inadequate nutrition along with modern environmental
stressors, the overproduction of free radicals with insufficient antioxidants
to stop them may produce some adverse health effects. According to Richard
A. Passwater, Ph. D., free radical damage is responsible for about 50
to 60 non-bacterial and non-viral diseases. In his book, The New Superantioxidant—Plus,
Passwater writes that free radicals cause damage on several counts.
They destroy healthy cell membranes, which regulate what goes in and
what comes out; they interact with DNA; they can inhibit cell function
by "welding" molecules together; they can also promote uncontrolled
cell growth. Unchecked free radicals can accelerate aging, trigger benign
or cancerous tumors, and even play a role in heart disease.
Antioxidants Needed to Counter Free-Radicals
To counter free radical damage, the body relies on antioxidants. Passwater
writes that a nutrient is identified as an antioxidant when its few
molecules are able to protect many other molecules from free radical
damage by slowing, if not preventing, the oxidation process. These self-sacrificing
molecules seek out free radicals and donate their electron to become
a weak and harmless free radical. The body produces some antioxidants,
but relies mostly on dietary sources such as vitamins A, C, and E, and
the mineral selenium.
Pycnogenol- A Powerful
Antioxidant
One of the most powerful dietary sources of antioxidants is Pycnogenol.
Pycnogenol is the trademarked extract of a specific mixture of bioflavonoids
and fruit acids from the bark of the maritime pine tree found only in
the southwest region of France. Its main function is as an antioxidant,
yet the superpotency of this substance, as well as its other beneficial
functions makes Pycnogenol unique from other antioxidant supplements.
A common anecdote used to describe Pycnogenol's history is of a pine bark tea that a Native American gave to explorer Jacques Carrier in 1535 for his malnourished and scurvy-ridden crew as they were stuck in the Hudson Bay all winter. This story sparked the interest of French scientist Dr. Jacques Masquelier, who researched the properties of pine bark that cured Carrier's crew, and later patented the substance and its extraction process.
Pycnogenol - More
Powerful Than Vitamins C and E
Pycnogenol, belongs to a group of substances known as oligomeric proanthocyanidins
(OPCs). As an OPC, Pycnogenol's antioxidant activity is 50 times as
powerful as vitamin C and 20 times as powerful as vitamin E, according
to Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. and
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC. Balch and Balch write that the antioxidant protection
of OPCs extends to the brain and nervous system because they are able
to cross the blood-brain barrier, which many substances cannot do. In
addition to their own antioxidant work, OPCs regenerate used up vitamin
C, which in turn regenerates used up vitamin E. Pycnogenol, as a prominent
source of OPCs, has potential to act as a pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory,
or an anti-histamine. It can slow down the aging process, boost the
immune system, and help protect against heart disease.
In recent months, researchers have delivered some very good news about the value of Pycnogenol supplementation:
• In January, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, reporting on a clinical trial conducted at the University of Wurzburg in Germany, indicated that use of Pycnogenol caused a demonstrable decrease in osteoarthritic knee pain. The mode of action appeared to be a lowering of cyclooxygenase activity, also known as COX-1 and COX-2.
Pycnogenol and CoQ10 Together More Effective
• In February, the peer-reviewed journal Evidence Based Integrative Medicine offered the results of a study conducted jointly at the Showa Medical University of Tokyo, Japan, and the State University of New York, in Buffalo, NY. According to the scientists, when Pycnogenol and coenzyme Q-10 are taken together, they protect 53% of blood lipids from oxidation, as opposed to less than 30% when each nutrient is taken singly.
Pycnogenol Prevents Harmful Inflammation
• Most recently, in April, came an announcement that the Journal of Inflammation had published the results of another University of Wurzburg study in which Pycnogenol was shown to prevent harmful inflammation induced by immune system response. The findings were deemed especially relevant for sufferers of allergies, asthma and arthritis.
Pycnogenol - Proving
Effective Against Minor and Serious Health Problems
Clearly, it would seem that the support that Pycnogenol provides to
the immune system and the circulatory system has potential to serve
preventatively against minor and serious health problems. In the case
of heart disease, writes Passwater, Pycnogenol recharges vitamin E,
which prevents low-density lipoproteins (LDLs)-that is, the bad cholesterol
— from oxidizing and building up in the arteries. Likewise, Pycnogenol
maintains the strength and firmness of capillaries, which prevents blood
from sticking together and clotting in the arteries. For less severe
ailments such as allergies, Pycnogenol may inhibit histamine production
as well as prevent capillary leakage responsible for inflammation. On
the cosmetic side, Pycnogenol aids in maintaining younger-looking skin
by protecting collagen particles that are normally depleted by free
radicals, sun exposure, and the natural aging process. WF
References:
The New Superanitoxidant-Plus, by Richard A. Passwater, Ph .D. Keats
Publishing Inc., ©1992
All About Pycnogenol, by Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D. Avery Publishing
Group, ©1998
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. and
James F. Balch, M.D. Penguin Putnam Inc., © 2000
Material provided by Natural Health Science, Inc.
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