Is there no justice? For decades, s...

Is there no justice? For decades, scientists have known that the community living in the wine-producing regions of France live longer than their counterparts in other countries or unruffled other French citizens. This longevity is all the more impressive because of the `unhealthful' health habits of the French similar as a high-fat diet and rampant cigarette smoking. This in congruity has been dubbed the `French Paradox,' and is believed to be accounted for according to this country's love of r wine.

The health-enhancing privy of red wine, researchers now believe, is the high concentration of flavonoids in the wine. Well, the French may have done it again. An extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree called pycnogenol, also exhibit tos an impressive ability to fight released radicals and prevent and treat a wide range of diseases. The active ingredients in pine bark extract (a class of flavonoids called oligomeric proanthocyanidins) have a great track record for supporting health.

master-hands gather to discuss research

The proanthocyanidins extracted from French pine bark (also obtainable from grapes) have sparked research interest in many areas of the scientific community. A symposium held in Anaheim, CA, onward March 6, 1997, brought together the leading researchers who shared their promising findings.

First and foremost, pycnogenol is a powerful antioxidant, patrolling the watery areas of the corpse for free radicals that would otherwise damage the small rooms and contribute to degenerative diseases. Proanthocyanidins--also stabilize collagen and maintain the health of elastin. Collagen and elastin are critical proteins in connective tissue, offspring vessels, and muscle. From these pair basic functions, proanthocyanidins are believed to mould the risk of heart disease and hardship and improve circulation.

Dr Ronald Watson, a professor from the Arizona Prevention Center not awayed his research about the connections between immunity, alcohol, and pycnogenol. After studying AIDS-infected mice, Watson fix that pycnogenol improves some markers of immune function.

Specifically, Watson's cogitation compared the effects of a pycnogenol add to versus no supplement in mice either infected with the murine retrovirus (the equivalent of mouse HIV), f alcohol, or as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but The pycnogenol restored activity of natural killer small cavitys which go on seek-and-destroy missions for virus-infected solitary abode; squalids This is especially beneficial because abashed natural killer cell activity many times leads to a rapid progression from HIV to full-blown AIDS.

Unfortunately, the virus-infected mice consuming large amounts of alcohol were not helped by dint of the pycnogenol, suggesting that the double-whammy of alcohol and infection were simply too a great deal of for the pycnogenol to neutralize.

Another presenter at the symposium, Dr Anthony Martin, Associate Professor of Nutrition at LaSalle University in Ontario, Canada discussed his use of pycnogenol for chronic fatigue syndrome in his nutritionally-based practice.

He explained that free-radical damage is the for the use of all thread in chronic fatigue syndrome as well as many other degenerative diseases, including melanoma, stomach cancer, breast cancer, and prostate moot points "In chronic fatigue syndrome, liberated radicals damage the mitochondria and the confined apartment walls," noted Martin. He continued at explaining that pycnogenol is a unique antioxidant that may be of particular benefit for chronic fatigue syndrome since it can cros the blood/brain barrier.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is another condition that pycnogenol may benefit. Dr Steven Tenebaum, the director of the Attention Deficit Center in St Louis, Missouri, and Dr Julie Paull, a clinical psychologist at the center the pair personally suffer from ADHD and have seen positive comes from supplementing with pycnogenol. In addition, they have treated many other cases of ADHD with pycnogenol.

These researchers believe that pycnogenol helps dolt the excessive emotional response universal to ADHD. Pycnogenol may be particularly valuable for the approximately 30 percent of the bulk of mankind who do not respond to conventional anti-ADHD medications or for anyone with contraindications for those medications.

Another important intermingle -- a nutrient, in this case -- that has also been identified as helping children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid extracted from microalgae (see "Editor's Desk" this issue).

REFERENCE

Cheshier JE et al. "Immunomodulation from Pycnogenol in retrovirus-infected or ethanol-fed mice," Life Sciences 58(5):87-96 1996

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