Pycnogenol Found Beneficial for Metabolic Health

by | Mar 19, 2013 | 2013, Cardiovascular Health, Metabolic Syndrome, Pycnogenol

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. The study suggests that Pycnogenol, the extract from French maritime bark, may also help with metabolic health.

Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by having “a cluster” of cardiovascular conditions that include:

  • Increased blood pressure: Systolic blood pressure (the top number) ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure >85 mmHg
  • Blood sugar problems: Fasting plasma glucose ≥ 100 milligrams/deciliter
  • Abnormal blood fats: Triglyceride levels ≥ 150 milligrams/deciliter
  • Excess trunk body fat: Waist circumference ≥ 94 centimeters for European men and ≥ 80 centimeters for European women
  • Abnormal cholesterol levels: Reduced HDL (“good”) cholesterol: < 40 milligrams/deciliter in males and < 50 milligrams/deciliter in females

All of these factors increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke and are now regarded as “the driving force” for a new cardiovascular disease epidemic (1).

Once the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made, aggressive treatment is encouraged in the form of lifestyle changes that include regular exercise, losing weight, quitting smoking, and improving diet (2). Now a new study (3) suggests that Pycnogenol, the extract from French maritime bark, may also help with metabolic health.

In the study, 130 patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome followed a 6-month program that included a specific dietary education with special emphasis on excluding “junk food” and limiting high-calorie food items. Regarding exercise, they were asked to complete 20 minutes of walking or cycling 3 times a day and lift two 1-kilogram hand weights 3 times daily for 5 minutes for 6 months. Finally, they were encouraged to use stairs instead of escalators/elevators and discouraged from driving by car when short distances could be walked.

The only difference between the two groups was that one group took 150 milligrams per day of Pycnogenol (3 50-milligram doses at 8 am, 4 pm, and 10 pm = 66 patients) and the other group took a placebo (64 patients). Before the study, at 3 months and then 6 months of the study, their waist circumference, Body Mass Index (BMI), body weight and blood pressure was measured.

By the end of 6 months, those in the Pycnogenol group saw the following results:

  • 7.7% decrease in men’s waist measurements (106.4 to 98.3 centimeters) compared to a 5.3% decrease in the placebo group (105.8 to 100.2 centimeters,p < 0.05) and a 8.1% decrease in women’s waist measurements (90.9 to 83.6 centimeters) compared to a 4.3% decrease in the placebo group (91.2 to 87.3 centimeters,p< 0.05 ).
  • 24.4% decrease in tyriglyceride levels in both men and women (189.3 to 143.2 milligrams/deciliter) compared to a 6.2% decrease in the placebo group (194.3 to 182.3 mg/dL,p< 0.05 ).
  • 25.7% increase in men’s HDL cholesterol (35.4 to 44.5 mg/dL) compared to a 9.4% increase in the placebo group (35.9 to 39.3 mg/dL,p < 0.05) and a 24.5% increase in women’s HDL cholesterol (44.5 to 55.4 mg/dL) compared to a 1.3% increase in the placebo group (45.5 to 46.1 mg/dL,p< 0.05).
  • 4.6% decrease in systolic blood pressure across broth groups (144 to 137.4 mmHg) compared to no change in the placebo group (143.2 to 142.3 mmHg,p< 0.05)
  • 6.1% decrease in the diastolic blood pressure across both groups (87.6 to 82.3 mmHg) compared to a 2.3% decrease in the placebo group (87.2 to 85.2 mmHg,p< 0.05)
  • 14.6% decrease in fasting blood sugar across both groups (123.2 to 105.3 mg/dL) compared to a 4.1% decrease in the placebo group (124.3 to 119.3 mg/dL,p < 0.05).

For the researchers, “this study indicates a role for Pycnogenol to improve the cluster of conditions associated with metabolic syndrome.”

Source: Belcaro, G., et al. “Pycnogenol® supplementation improves health risk factors in subjects with metabolic syndrome.” Phytotherapy Research 27.10 (2013): 1572-1578.

© 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

Posted March 19, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. Alberti KG, Eckel RH, Grundy SM, et al. 2009. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation 120: 1640–1645
  2. Grundy SM, Brewer HB, Jr., Cleeman JI, Smith SC, Jr., Lenfant C. 2004a. Definition of metabolic syndrome: report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Heart Association conference on scientific issues related to definition. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 24: e13‐18.
  3. Belcaro G.  Pycnogenol Supplementation Improves Health Risk Factors in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.  Phytother Res 2013 Jan 28. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4883. [Epub ahead of print]