Pycnogenol Reduces CVD Risk

TUCSON, Ariz.—Pycnogenol®, a flavonoid-rich dietary supplement, improved diabetes control, lowered cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and reduced antihypertensive medicine in a recent study at the University of Arizona (Nutr Res. 2008;28(5):315-20) (DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2008.03.003). Forty-eight patients diagnosed with both type 2 diabetes and mild to moderate hypertension and undergoing treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were randomly assigned to receive either 125 mg/ d of Pycnogenol or a matched placebo for 12 weeks. Pycnogenol treatment achieved blood pressure (BP) control in 58.3 percent of subjects at the end of the 12 weeks with a 50 percent reduction in individual pretrial dose of ACE-inhibitors (P<0.05). In the Pycnogenol-treated group, plasma endothelin-1 decreased by 3.9 pg/mL, mean HbA1c dropped by 0.8 percent (P<0.05), fasting plasma glucose declined by 23.7 mg/dL and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol improved significantly, declining by 12.7 mg/dL (P<0.001). A significant decrease in urinary albumin level was observed at week eight compared with the control group (P<0.05). However, this reduction was not significant at week 12.