[Efficacy of Pycnogenol] From menopause to blood circulation health, 3 effects of Pycnogenol

[Efficacy of Pycnogenol] From menopause to blood circulation health, 3 effects of Pycnogenol

Pycnogenol

'This' of pine bark that protects blood vessels

Pycnogenol Benefits
1. Improvement of menopausal symptoms
2. Improvement of vascular endothelial function
3. Inhibition of platelet aggregation

This is Jinny, the pharmacist. 

Today, I would like to introduce an ingredient called Pycnogenol . It is an ingredient that is unfamiliar to many people, but it is an ingredient that is already popular overseas enough to say that if there is ginseng in Korea, there is pycnogenol in the West. Pycnogenol is an ingredient extracted from the bark of pine trees on the southwest coast of France . It contains various flavonoids, including procyanidins, which are known to inhibit oxidation in the body . The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also recognized the functionality of Pycnogenol as “removing active oxygen, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and helping menopausal women’s health. ”

Now, let's look at the benefits of consuming Pycnogenol through the thesis.
1. Improve menopausal symptoms

Pycnogenol stimulates the synthesis of eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), which lowers blood pressure, improves cerebral microcirculation, and increases neurotransmitter production. It is known that  this positive effect on the vascular and nervous systems also improves menopausal symptoms .

In this regard , a paper published in Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica in 2007 revealed that menopausal symptoms improved when Pycnogenol was consumed in an experiment targeting menopausal women suffering from discomfort such as fatigue, headache, and anxiety .
" During the treatment period, women in the Pycnogenol group reported rapid improvement (high scores) in symptoms from 1 month onwards. All symptoms of the WHQ (Questionnaire for the Degree of Menopausal Symptoms and Discomforts) were statistically significant compared to the start of treatment. improved. ”
Reference Paper: Yang, HM, Liao, MF, Zhu, SY, Liao, MN, & Rohdewald, P. (2007). A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women. Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica , 86 (8), 978–985.
2. Improves vascular endothelial function

The vascular endothelium is an epithelial tissue that is in contact with the lumen of the blood vessel, and normally maintains the flow of blood by preventing clots from forming. It also serves as an immune surveillance that recognizes pathogens and foreign substances circulating in the blood. Pycnogenol activates eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), which promotes the production of nitric oxide (NO), which improves blood flow through vasodilation and lowers blood pressure . Therefore , when pycnogenol is ingested, the function of endothelial cells in blood vessels is improved .

In this regard, a paper was published in the European Heart Journal in 2012 that showed that vascular endothelial function was improved when Pycnogenol was consumed for patients with coronary artery disease .
"This study  demonstrates improvement in endothelial function after 8 weeks of treatment with the flavonoid extract Pycnogenol at a dose of 200mg qd compared to placebo in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). "
Reference papers : Enseleit, F., Sudano, I., Périat, D., Winnik, S., Wolfrum, M., Flammer, AJ, Fröhlich, GM, Kaiser, P., Hirt, A., Haile, SR, Krasniqi, N., Matter, CM, Uhlenhut, K., Högger, P., Neidhart, M., Lüscher, TF, Ruschitzka, F., & Noll, G. (2012). Effects of Pycnogenol on endothelial function in patients with stable coronary artery disease: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. European heart journal , 33 (13), 1589–1597.
3. Inhibition of platelet aggregation

Impaired endothelial function and reduced nitric oxide (NO) formation increase platelet activity and increase the risk of blood clots. If a blood clot forms in the coronary artery of the heart, a myocardial infarction occurs, and if it occurs in the brain, a cerebral thrombosis occurs. Due to the effect of stimulating the production of nitric oxide of Pycnogenol mentioned above , it is known that ingestion of Pycnogenol helps to normalize platelet activity .

In this regard, a paper published in Thrombosis research in 1999 reported that platelet aggregation activated by smoking was inhibited by pycnogenol intake .
“ Pycnogenol 100 mg orally administered also significantly inhibits smoking-induced platelet activation. ”
Reference paper: Pütter, M., Grotemeyer, KH, Würthwein, G., Araghi-Niknam, M., Watson, RR, Hosseini, S., & Rohdewald, P. (1999). Inhibition of smoking-induced platelet aggregation by aspirin and pycnogenol. Thrombosis research , 95 (4), 155–161.

Today, through a paper, we looked at the benefits of consuming Pycnogenol. Pycnogenol has been studied for a relatively long time and is considered safe. However, caution should be exercised if you are taking antithrombotic or anticoagulant medications as they may increase your bleeding tendency. And taking it on an empty stomach can cause some stomach discomfort, so we recommend taking Pycnogenol after a meal.

I hope you have a healthy day in body and mind. It was Jinny.
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