Imagine that aspirin will be recommended for future procyanidin tablets as today. Such is the healthy nature of procyanidins, which is the possibility. Procyanidins have been identified as being high performance, low toxicity, and highly bioavailable. Some red wines have been identified as containing a very high concentration of this powerful heart healthy compound.
The steady flow of animal and in vitro studies supplemented by epidemiological evidence and human studies reveals a number of health benefits. The main thing among the advantages is the protection of heart disease and antioxidants against some cancers.
Discuss these issues
- Procyanidins have been identified as being high performance, low toxicity, and highly bioavailable.
- Procyanidins available in some red wines, 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate and other foods are healthy compounds that are part of natural diet at the highest dose (as well as other compounds not proven) It was safe for long periods of time, in some cases not completely absorbed, and was observed in some supplements.
- In the study, it was found that aggressive support for cardiovascular health including lowering of blood pressure was observed two weeks after red wine rich in procyanidin. This is good news for protection from heart disease and stroke.
- Health statistics are important and important - nearly half of us die from HEART DISEASE - World Health Organization and 50% STROKES is due to hypertension.
- " In the world where drug treatment for managing cardiovascular health is given to the population, we have never achieved low level cardiac related death like Gers (France) Where they drink these wines "Professor Giovanni de Gaetano, MD, Ph.D,
- According to the census, in southwestern France, where Procyanidin rich wine is produced and consumed, twice the census data of a 90 year old male is shown.
- Procyanidins are ten times more abundant in this area than the modern style commonly made today, sweet, soft and cute red wine.
- In New Zealand, consumers who start the strategy of wine in southwestern France every day are experiencing improvements in blood pressure consistent with the study. This happens without changing to your lifestyle, diet, exercise or medication.
- Procyanidins naturally bring about the same benefits as perhaps achieved with "polypills". Polypill is a mixture of already used drugs to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Governments and pharmaceutical companies are trying to develop drugs that are taken internationally every day to protect the elderly from heart disease. In procyanidins, it already exists in its native form.
- Perhaps it is important for our health that the consumption of our procyanidins is much lower than the amount that we have discovered in the current processed and refined food epidemic Let's see!
This report is a prospect of international research which is believed to be linked to the health benefits of procyanidin.
What is procyanidin
Procyanidin is a mixture of antioxidant molecules,
- Procyanidin
- Proanthocyanidins,
- Oligomer procyan cyanadine (OPC)
- Proanthocyanidin oligomer (PCO)
- Leuco cyanidin
Procyanidins are polyphenol compounds with strong bioactivity and pharmacological activity and are widely present in grape seeds, hawthorn, pine bark and other foods and plants. Many of the potential mechanisms of procyanidin are emerging. These include working as an important antioxidant in vivo, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of cancer, inhibiting bacteria, and so on. In recent years, the beneficial health and lifespan effects of procyanidins on the human body have been extensively studied internationally.
In the study, procyanidins are toxic to cancer cells against cancers such as skin cancer, oral cavity cancer, breast cancer, bronchial cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer and the like, And has the effect of promoting proliferation on normal cells that have been reported to have the same activity.
Procyanidin is commonly referred to as OPC in the scientific community but is skilled in the treatment of vascular diseases in order to actually increase the structural strength of fragile blood vessels and maintain its permeability and elasticity . This happens to help OPC neutralize the basic chemicals that promote many diseases (oxidation of living cells by free radicals).
OPC is one of the most influential antioxidants. It is 50 times stronger than vitamin E, and some tests are 20 times stronger than vitamin C.
Grape seeds and pine bark are two of the most abundant known sources of OPC. Procyanidins are also rich in walnut shells, cranberries, certain apple varieties, pomegranates, horse chestnuts, hazelnut leaves, hawthorn, rhubarb, barley (beer made from barley). However, tests have shown that these foods have large variations in procyanidin content.
toxicity
In 2002, the safety assessment of OPC rich grape seed extract was done to determine the toxicology of proanthocyanidins, especially in oral administration when used in various foods. Grape seed extract (GSE) was tested for acute and subchronic oral toxicity and mutagenicity. Mice and rats were tested. There was no evidence of acute oral toxicity and no evidence of mutagenicity was found. The results of the study show a lack of toxicity and support the use of proanthocyanidin-rich extracts from grape seeds of various foods.
Cardiovascular disease
Professor Roger Corder, an experimental therapist at the William Harvey Institute in London, reported that reducing the risk of chronic heart disease in red wine and lowering the mortality rate of normal moderate red wine consumers We are responsible for it.
On November 30, 2006, research papers published in Procyanidins of Nature magazine and the merit that some red wines have on health became noticeable. Nature is one of the best scientific journals in the world.
Epidemiological studies have revealed that the two European populations are longevity. The people in Nuoro prefecture of Sardinia and the people of Gers, especially the men in the southwestern France, have remarkably longer lived than the national average. These populations do not consume "Mediterranean diet". Cordell tested the wine and confirmed that procyanidins are 10 times more common in this area than modern, sweet, soft and sweet flavored red wines commonly made today. This is the top of the healthy red wine "pyramid".
Coder and his team saw these populations and lifestyles, judged there was something about the wine in these areas, and started researching wine components and compounds. They designed the study so that they can not know which compound is most effective until the exam is over. Researchers cultured endothelial cells and added a small amount of red wine. The team separated and measured the biological activity of each polyphenol in red wine. Procyanidins have proven to be optimal for hundreds of experiments using wines from around the world to regulate endothelin - 1 production and achieve the best level. Procyanidin suppressed overproduction by 50%.
Other compounds such as resveratrol (nonflavanoid polyphenols) and quercetin proved to have an unrelated effect.
Researchers found that red wines from these two areas are particularly procyanidins. This is because most of the grapes used to produce local wines in these areas are flavanoid rich tannuts. In addition, the traditional wine making technology in southwestern France significantly increased the procyanidin concentration of red wine while fermentation and dipping kept the grape skin and seed in contact with the juice for a long time.
Through innovative research by Professor Roger Corder (Roger Corder)
1. Procyanidin lowers blood pressure Endothelin-1,
It is a peptide with an undesirable vasoconstrictor action. It also increases blood nitric oxide and causes vasodilation and increased blood flow
2. Procyanidins reduce platelet aggregation ,
Prevent clot formation and artery occlusion
3. Procyanidins prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol .
High blood cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for heart disease, as LDL-cholesterol can accumulate in the arterial wall that causes inflammation and plaque formation after oxidation. When LDL-cholesterol is protected from oxidation it is unlikely to cause atherosclerosis
Four. There are few exceptionally high concentrations of wine Procyanidin
Corder examined many wines and identified only a few regions in the world where procyanidin consistently has the highest concentration
Strong antioxidant
OPC has been highly evaluated as an antioxidant substance that quenches free radicals and enhances other antioxidants. In one in vitro study, OPC extended vitamin C lifespan by 400%. Another in vitro study showed that exposure of the inner layer of blood vessels to pine bark OPCs increased vitamin E content by 15%. Grape seed also shows recycling and enhancing effect. The activity of test tube-based vitamin E is indicative of enhancement by grape seed OPC in a system that mimics cell membranes.
A mouse study of Creighton University School of Pharmacy in Omaha, Nebraska, which discovered that patent grape seed extract protects tissues from oxidation rather than antioxidant vitamins C and E or beta carotene.
In vitro experiments to test the response of human oral cells to free radical injuries by smokeless tobacco, it was found that grape seed OPCs are more potent antioxidants than vitamins C and E even when combining two different vitamins Was observed.
Prevention of atherosclerosis
The role of oxidation in the development of hardened arteries (atherogenesis) is increasingly understood. Oxidized LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol causes numerous adverse reactions including inflammation, proliferation of smooth muscle cells and coagulation mechanism to cells covering vessel walls. All of this causes atherosclerosis.
Grape seed extract containing 50% OPC and 50% phenolic acid prevented such oxidation of porcine LDL in vitro. OPC can also prevent atherosclerosis in other ways. For example, two in vitro studies found that a patented pine bark extract regulates the release of nitric oxide, which affects the expanded diameter of blood vessels.
Corder's main finding is that high cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, as LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the arterial wall that causes inflammation and plaque formation after oxidation. When LDL-cholesterol is protected from oxidation, LDL-cholesterol is unlikely to cause atherosclerosis.
Researchers compared the effect of patented pine bark extract OPC and aspirin to smoking induced platelet aggregation in the three groups of smokers. They found that platelet aggregation was inhibited by 500 mg of aspirin and 100 - 125 mg of pine bark extract. The authors conclude that pine bark brings "beneficial risk-benefit ratio" due to increased bleeding time with aspirin.
Increasingly, research has increased the problem of safety due to the long-term use of aspirin by 'worried well' that prevents attachment of the heart. Studies have shown that sustained use nearly doubles the risk of hospitalization due to internal bleeding.
Although OPCs seem to inhibit several factors contributing to atherosclerosis, do they actually prevent that condition? Yes, it is a conclusion by a recent animal experiment. Researchers at Noda's soy sauce manufacturing factory gave rabbits a diet that causes high blood pressure cholesterol and severe atherosclerosis. The blood levels of their peroxide (oxidation scale) increased by 10 times. Another group of rabbits ingested the same diet but supplemented with grape seed OPC extract equivalent to 0.1 or 1% of the feed. Supplement rabbits also showed high cholesterol levels. However, they did not have detectable peroxides in the blood. More impressively, their blood vessels did not have any atherosclerosis. These findings have been confirmed by other studies on grape seed and pine bark OPC. This emphasizes that it is not the degree of oxidation of cholesterol itself, it is not high cholesterol itself.
Promising data on the prevention of OPC and atherosclerosis originate primarily from test tubes and animal studies, but epidemiological studies may reveal the value of OPC in human health. In fact, OPC may be helpful in explaining why low coronary heart disease exists in the French paradox, or in French provinces known for high fat foods and red wine consumption. There is no Mediterranean food in these groups.
The French paradox was first proposed by Dr. Serge Renaud in 1991. Den Renaud, who took part in the Wine & Health Symposium (Professor Corder's headline) held in France in Poland in 2007, Dr. Renaud identified procyanidin as an explanation of Corder's research France paradox. Corder concludes from his research and epidemiological studies that OPC is responsible for exceptional lifespan in several populations of southwest France and Sardinia. Corder proposes that this is a real French paradox.
Red wine could have considered some powerful flavonoid alcohol tincture including OPC from grape seed. At the University of Padua in Italy, volunteers gave high-fat meals with or without red wine. The concentration of plasma peroxide after meals was much lower for those who drank wine.
OPCs also appear to prevent damage caused by atherosclerosis by preventing ischemic reperfusion injury. In atherosclerosis, blood clots may restrict blood flow to the heart. When this coagulum breaks, blood returns to the tissue. That process paradoxically leads to free radical damage. At the University of Connecticut College of Medicine in Farmington, he gave blood flow constriction and liberation to the heart of animals. Compared to control animals, animals supplemented with patent grape seed extract had 38% less cardiac damage and 50% less creatine kinase release, a marker of tissue damage.
Breast cancer
Studies have shown that the production of estrogen in breast cancer tissue plays a major role in tumor progression. In vitro studies indicate that procyanidin B dimers can reduce androgen dependent tumor growth and that these chemicals decrease the production of estrogens from androgenic substrates.
In one study, researchers demonstrated that procyanidin B dimer in red wine might have been used as a chemopreventive agent against breast cancer by inhibiting the conversion of androgens to estrogen in breast tissue It was done. Researchers estimated that drinking 4 ounces of red wine once daily would yield enough procyanidin B dimer to inhibit the average aromatase activity of postmenopausal women.
Prevention of prostate cancer
Studies have concluded that procyanidins can induce apoptosis (cancer cell self-destruction) and necrosis (cell death as a result of external factors) in prostate cancer PC-3 cells in a mitochondrially dependent manner It was done. Significant changes observed occurred to varying degrees depending on dose and time-dependent manner within hours of treatment start.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men. PCa-related mortality rate is increasing every year. Until now, there is no effective treatment that has obvious effect to prolong the lifespan of PCa patients. Other traditional therapies, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, can not prevent PCa from growing into metastatic clones and becoming androgen refractory. Therefore, developing a new therapeutic strategy targeting apoptosis induction is of real value in controlling proliferation and progression of advanced PCa.
It was aimed to investigate whether procyanidin-induced apoptosis and necrosis of PC-3 cells are related to mitochondrial membrane potential. Mitochondria is the structure of the cytoplasm (outside the nucleus) of cells other than bacteria, in which food molecules (sugars, fatty acids, amino acids) are degraded in the presence of oxygen and converted into energy. Therefore, as "robustness" of cells, it is essential to human health. It is also an important structure within the cell that regulates cell death. This study showed that mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly reduced in PC-3 cells by procyanidin treatment. Therefore, the toxicity of procyanidins against these cancer cells was demonstrated.
Other cancer protection
Other in vitro studies also suggest that OPC provides cancer protection. OPCs of Vaccinium-family berries, including blueberries, linger bones and cranberries, block tumor growth by preventing protein synthesis in tumor cells, thereby preventing them from proliferating. In the laboratory, OPC of barley bran was also transforming human myeloid leukemia cells into cells that are no longer cancerous. In other in vitro studies, it was found that the patent grape seed extract killed cancer cells. It inhibited proliferation of human breast, lung, gastric and myeloid leukemia cells by up to 73%. Proliferation of normal cells is promoted.
Millions of Asian chewed stimulant nuts contain OPC. Researchers noted that OPC may play a major role in natural cancer prevention in small-scale studies of the inhibitory effect of vinternut extract on human endogenous nitrosation.
Other health effects
You can also use OPC to protect your virus again. In vitro studies using OPCs from Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) resulted in the death of herpes (HSV-1) and HIV virus.
Venous insufficiency is a common condition in which veins and muscles (primarily the legs) can not properly return blood to the heart. Walking is painful and difficult. Italian studies show that grape seed extract can help. Twenty-four patients with chronic venous insufficiency were treated with 100 mg of grape seed extract per day. Improvement was visible in 10 days: 70% of patients had less edema and 50% had less pain. Bilberry and other bioflavonoids have been used for vein problems for many years in Europe. They may have similar mechanisms of action, or they may contain OPCs in their active ingredients.
The body is also protected from toxins by OPC. Acetaminophen, which is an active ingredient of tylenol, is a powerful liver toxin, and 75,000 poisoning cases are occurring every year in the United States that require hospitalization. Animal experiments showed that pretreatment with patented grape seed extract at 100 mg / kg for one week prevented liver damage by acetaminophen. Organ damage was assessed by examining liver cell damage and by monitoring animal health.
Procyanidin and beauty
In addition to disease prevention, OPC will make you look youthful. Oxidative injuries cause the most visible signs of aging on our skin. By preventing this damage, the skin looks young. One way to achieve this is to reduce the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) light. Sunscreen products contain various antioxidants to prevent sunburn. In one study, grape seed OPC exerted a single antioxidant effect with equivalent efficacy level as vitamin E protection of different polyunsaturated fatty acids by UV light induced lipid peroxidation. In this same study, grape OPCs synergistically interact with vitamin E and recycle the inactivated form of vitamins to the active form, thus acting as a virtual vitamin E extender.
Part of the aging process is skin degradation by enzyme elastase, which is released in inflammatory reactions. OPC specifically blocks elastase and thus maintains the integrity of elastin.
If the results of animal experiments are applied to humans, OPCs may help the hair head get thicker. Japanese researchers shaved the mouse and found that 40% of the hair grows naturally. However, when 1% solution of any of the 3 proanthocyanidins was applied to the skin, 70 to 80% of the hair grew. The test tube test confirms that OPC actually stimulates the hairy keratinocytes and produces three times more hair than the control.
Some researchers suggest that the health benefits of OPCs should be officially recommended optimal intake. According to Bagchi, the dose used in many animal studies is 100 mg / kg body weight, which corresponds to 50 to 200 mg in average adults. Due to today's refined food epidemic, our intake is far less than the amount we have discovered, but there are few attempts to quantify current OPC intake did. According to Kolder, 1 glass of red wine rich in procyanidin brings cardiovascular benefit. This was a New Zealand consumer's experience of wine in South West France. Wine tested for procyanidin content can be used up to 330 mg per 125 ml.
While there are more studies to be carried out, evidence of the health benefits of procyanidin is obtained. A good thing is that procyanidins are abundantly available in a variety of food types, without waiting for the commercial verification process to be completed. In emphasis, procyanidins are obtained naturally at beneficial doses. Procyanidin has not been proven unsafe.
