Study Re-Confirms Pycnogenol’s Role in Joint Health

by | Sep 17, 2008 | 2008, Joint Health, Pycnogenol

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a study of 100 patients, those who took 150 mg of pycnogenol for 3 months had a statistically significant  29 % reduction in pain symptoms at the end of one month and an 8% reduction in pain symptoms at the end of 3 months compared to the control group.

Osteoarthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability, limiting everyday activities for 16 million Americans. The condition results in 750,000 hospitalizations and costs our healthcare system over $51 billion each year (1). The Center for Disease Control estimates that the number of people aged 65 or older with arthritis will more than double, from 15.7 million in 2002 to 33.3 million in 2030 (1).

Now a new study (2) has found that Pycnogenol may benefit joint health. Building on an April
2008 study showing that Pycnogenol helps inflammation levels in knee arthritis (3), 100 patients with osteoarthritis were given either 150 mg of Pycnogenol or placebo per day for three months. During this time, they reported any changes in their anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) use. They also completed the Western Ontario and McMasters University (WOMAC) (4) questionnaire every two weeks and reported pain symptoms every week, using a pain rating scale. Improvements in WOMAC scores reflected improvements in overall function (5).

At the end of three months, WOMAC scores in the Pycnogenol group were 12% higher than in the placebo group (56 vs. 50). Pain symptoms were 29% lower in the Pycnogenol group by the end of one month and remained statistically significant by the end of the study (8% lower, p = 0.07)) than the placebo group.

Regarding medication use, 62% of patients in the Pycnogenol group used the same level of medication compared to 82% in the placebo group, while 38% in the Pycnogenol group decreased their dosage compared to 10% in placebo group (8% of placebo patients increased their dosage).

For the researchers, “Pycnogenol offers an interesting alternative to treatment of early knee OA with NSAIDs or analgesics because of its low rate of unwanted effects and its efficacy.”

Source: Cisár, Peter, Richard Jány, Iweta Waczulíková, Katarína Sumegová, Jana Muchová, Jozef Vojtaššák, Zdenka Ďuraćková, Miroslav Lisý, and Peter Rohdewald. “Effect of pine bark extract (Pycnogenol®) on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.” Phytotherapy Research 22, no. 8 (2008): 1087-1092.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Posted September 17, 2008.

References:

  1. “Targeting Arthritis: Reducing Disability for 43 Million Americans” posted on the CDC Website.
  2. Cesar P. Phytother. Res. 22, 1087–1092 (2008) Published online 20 June 2008 in Wiley InterScience.
  3. Belcaro G.  Treatment of osteoarthritis with Pycnogenol®. The SVOS (San Valentino osteo-arthrosis study). evaluation of signs, symptoms, physical performance and vascular aspects.  Phyto Res 2008; 22: 518-523.  Published Online: Apr 2 2008 8:56AM  DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2376.
  4. Bellamy N. 1995. WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. A User’s Guide, 2nd edn. Victoria Hospital: London, Ontario.
  5. “WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index” posted on the WOMAC website.