Pycnogenol might improve some aspects of cardiometabolic health, but research has generally been mixed.
Pycnogenol may increase glycemic control by reducing fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).[1] This is thought to occur primarily in the intestines by reducing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.[2] Interestingly, pycnogenol may also improve the healing of diabetic ulcers.[3]
Some research suggests that pycnogenol has a blood pressure lowering effect;[4] however, when trials with a high risk of bias are excluded, this effect is generally lost.[5][6] Interestingly, two trials observed that taking pycnogenol along with other blood pressure-lowering medications (ramipril or nifedipine) allowed for lower overall doses of the antihypertensive medications after 12 weeks.[7][8]
The effects of pycnogenol on lipid parameters are similarly mixed. Some research suggests that pycnogenol may increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol but likely does not affect other lipid parameters (e.g., low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol, or triglycerides.)[9]
References
- ^Malekahmadi M, Moradi Moghaddam O, Firouzi S, Daryabeygi-Khotbehsara R, Shariful Islam SM, Norouzy A, Soltani SEffects of pycnogenol on cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Pharmacol Res.(2019-Dec)
- ^Mármol I, Quero J, Jiménez-Moreno N, Rodríguez-Yoldi M, Ancín-Azpilicueta CA systematic review of the potential uses of pine bark in food industry and health careTrends Food Sci Technol.(2019 Jun)
- ^Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Errichi BM, Ledda A, Di Renzo A, Stuard S, Dugall M, Pellegrini L, Gizzi G, Rohdewald P, Ippolito E, Ricci A, Cacchio M, Cipollone G, Ruffini I, Fano F, Hosoi MDiabetic ulcers: microcirculatory improvement and faster healing with pycnogenol.Clin Appl Thromb Hemost.(2006-Jul)
- ^Pourmasoumi M, Hadi A, Mohammadi H, Rouhani MHEffect of pycnogenol supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.Phytother Res.(2020-Jan)
- ^Federica Fogacci, Giuliano Tocci, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Vivianne Presta, Maciej Banach, Arrigo Francesco Giuseppe CiceroEffect of Pycnogenol on Blood Pressure: Findings From a PRISMA Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical StudiesAngiology.(2020 Mar)
- ^Zhang Z, Tong X, Wei YL, Zhao L, Xu JY, Qin LQEffect of Pycnogenol Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Iran J Public Health.(2018-Jun)
- ^Liu X, Wei J, Tan F, Zhou S, Würthwein G, Rohdewald PPycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, improves endothelial function of hypertensive patientsLife Sci.(2004 Jan 2)
- ^Zibadi S, Rohdewald PJ, Park D, Watson RRReduction of cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with type 2 diabetes by Pycnogenol supplementationNutr Res.(2008 May)
- ^Hadi A, Pourmasoumi M, Mohammadi H, Javaheri A, Rouhani MHThe impact of pycnogenol supplementation on plasma lipids in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.Phytother Res.(2019-Feb)