HIROSHIMA, Japan—Improving blood circulation to the muscles can enhance sports endurance and support faster physical recovery. A new study out of Japan suggests Pycnogenol®, an antioxidant-rich plant extract from pine bark, enhances the production of nitric oxide (NO), a chemical produced by the body that carries nutrients and oxygen to the muscles. This surge in NO production serves the demand for the needed increase in blood flow and oxygen to demanding muscles.
A two-week, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted at the Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Japan. Each day, 16 young, healthy men took either 180 mg Pycnogenol or a placebo. At the end of two weeks, blood testing showed a 42 percent increase in blood flow to the group receiving Pycnogenol; the placebo group showed no pronounced blood flow increase.
This results demonstrate the possibility of sustaining longer aerobic muscle activity, with less likelihood of cramping and muscular pain.
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