June 6, 2008 – Pycnogenol® may decrease the risk of heart problems in people with both type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, according to an American study. This natural health product is a flavonoid extracted from the bark of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster).
University of Arizona researchers conducted preliminary clinical trial1 in 48 diabetics also suffering from moderate hypertension. All of the participants were taking medication to control their blood pressure.
The pine bark extract is said to have simultaneously lowered blood pressure, blood sugar and bad cholesterol levels in the blood. According to the results, 58% of subjects treated with Pycnogenol saw their blood pressure decrease satisfactorily and were able to reduce their hypertension medication by 50%. They also reduced their blood glucose level by 16.7% and their bad cholesterol level by 12%.
The researchers gave the subjects, for 12 weeks, 125 mg per day of Pycnogenol or a placebo. The participants, aged 40 to 75, were all being treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, a classic medicine to control their blood pressure.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to PRNewswire and Medical News Today.
1. Zibadi S, Rohdewald PJ, et al. Reduction of cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with type 2 diabetes by Pycnogenol supplementation. J Nutr Res, Flight. 28, Issue 5, May 2008, pp 315-320. www.sciencedirect.com
