Natural Pine Bark Extract Relieves Muscle Cramp And Pain In Athletes And Diabeti

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Natural Pine Bark Extract Relieves Muscle Cramp And Pain In Athletes

And Diabetics

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45346

A study published in this month's issue of Angiology shows that

supplementation with the pine bark extract Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-

all) improves blood flow to the muscles which speeds recovery after

physical exercise. The study of 113 participants demonstrated that

Pycnogenol significantly reduces muscular pain and cramps in athletes

and healthy, normal individuals.

" With the millions of athletes worldwide, this truly is a profound

breakthrough and extremely significant for all individuals interested

in muscle cramp and pain relief with a natural approach. These

findings indicate that Pycnogenol can play an important role in

sports by improving blood flow to the muscles and hastening post-

exercise recovery, " said Dr. Rohdewald, a lead researcher of

the study.

Researchers at L'Aquila University in Italy and at the University of

Würzburg in Germany studied the effects of Pycnogenol on venous

disorders and cramping in two separate studies.

The first study consisted of 66 participants who had experienced

normal cramping at some point, had venous insufficiency, or were

athletes who suffer from exercise-induced cramping. The first two

weeks of the study was an observation period and participants did not

supplement with Pycnogenol. Symptoms related to venous disorders, and

the number of cramping episodes each participant experienced over the

two observation weeks was recorded.

Next, all the participants were given 200 mg of Pycnogenol once a day

for four weeks. After the treatment phase, participants' symptoms and

cramping episodes were recorded for one week without any Pycnogenol

supplementation.

The researchers found a significant decrease in the number of cramps

the participants experienced while supplementing with Pycnogenol.

Participants who had experienced normal cramping had a 25 percent

reduction in the number of cramps experienced while taking

Pycnogenol.

Participants with venous insufficiency experienced a 40 percent

reduction in the number of cramps, and athletes with frequent

cramping experienced a 13 percent reduction in the number of cramps

while on Pycnogenol.

The second study involved 47 participants with diabetic

microangiopathy (a disorder of the smallest veins commonly associated

with diabetes), or intermittent claudication (a blood vessel disease

that causes the legs to easily cramp).This study also used a two-week

pre-trial observation period followed by a week of supplementing with

Pycnogenol (200 mg per day for one week), followed by a week of

observation without Pycnogenol supplementation.

Patients with diabetic microangiopathy had a 20.8 percent reduction

in pain, while participants with claudication experienced a 21

percent decrease in the amount of pain experienced while

supplementing with Pycnogenol. Results indicated participants who

took placebo experienced no decrease in pain.

Cramps are a common problem for people of all ages, ranging to the

extreme fit and healthy to people who suffer from health problems.

Previously, magnesium was hailed as the natural approach for

relieving muscle cramps, however studies continue to show magnesium

to be inefficient for reducing muscle cramps.

" Pycnogenol improves the blood supply to muscle tissue creating a

relief effect on muscle cramping and pain. Poor circulation in the

muscle is known to cause cramps and Pycnogenol improved the cramping

in patients due to a stimulation of blood flow to their muscle

tissue. Nitric oxide (NO) a blood gas, is well known to enhance blood

flow and Pycnogenol may be influencing the activity of NO, " said

Rohdewald. " The insufficient production of NO is the common

denominator responsible for impaired blood flow in vascular disease. "

Strenuous exercise is known to involve muscle damage which may be

followed by symptoms of inflammation. In separate studies published

this year and in 2004 and 2005, Pycnogenol demonstrated its anti-

inflammatory effects in clinical trials for asthma, dysmenorrhea and

osteoarthritis.

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Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract originating from the bark of

the Maritime pine that grows along the coast of southwest France and

is found to contain a unique combination of procyanidins,

bioflavonoids and organic acids, which offer extensive natural health

benefits. The extract has been widely studied for the past 35 years

and has more than 220 published studies and review articles ensuring

safety and efficacy as an ingredient. Today, Pycnogenol is available

in more than 400 dietary supplements, multi-vitamins and health

products worldwide. For more information or a copy of this study,

visit http://www.pycnogenol.com/.

Natural Health Science Inc., (NHS) based in Hoboken, New Jersey, is

the North American distributor for Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all) brand

French Maritime Pine Bark Extract on behalf of Horphag Research.

Pycnogenol® is a registered trademark of Horphag Research Ltd.,

Guernsey, and its applications are protected by U.S. patents

#5,720,956 / #6,372,266 and other international patents. NHS has the

exclusive rights to market and sell Pycnogenol® and benefits from

more than 35 years of scientific research assuring the safety and

efficacy of Pycnogenol® as a dietary supplement. For more information

about Pycnogenol® visit our web site at http://www.pycnogenol.com/.