Study shows pine bark naturally reduces cardiovascular risk factors in...( A new study published in the May 200...),Health

A new study published in the May 2008 (volume 8, issue 25) edition of the journal of Nutrition Research shows Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, reduces blood sugar in type II diabetes patients, allows people to lower their antihypertensive medication and improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The study, conducted at the University of Arizona, Tucson, indicates Pycnogenol may serve as a potent adjunct to prescription medications for the 20 million people in the Unites States living with diabetes.

Most people with type II diabetes have cholesterol problems and half of those people experience hypertension. It has been documented that Pycnogenol mediates a number of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system for diabetics and healthy individuals, said Dr. Ronald Watson, a lead researcher of the study. Previous studies have shown Pycnogenol supplementation to be associated with reducing platelet aggregation, lowering LDL and increasing HDL cholesterol and modifying hypertension, among others. But what really makes the study results compelling is Pycnogenol simultaneously lowered blood glucose, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure in patients. Furthermore, this is the first study suggesting that Pycnogenol might also be beneficial in protecting kidney function in diabetics.

The 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial consisted of 48 men and women, 40 to 75 years of age, with noninsulin-dependent type II diabetes, taking anti-diabetic medication with metformin, sulfonylurea and glitazones. Furthermore, they took antihypertensive medications with ACE inhibitors such as Lisinopril. Despite their medication their fasting blood sugar was above healthy values (142 mg/dL) and their average systolic blood pressure was 139 mmHg subjects were randomly assigned to receive either Pycnogenol (25 mg, 5 times daily) or matched placebo. Participants
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