Pycnogenol Helps all Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

Last month, in volume 16.9 of The Natural Path, we wrote about the most recent research on metabolic syndrome. Now a new study has added more hope. . . . 

Metabolic Syndrome is diagnosed in the presence of any three of the following five symptoms: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose.
 

The current study gave 150mg of Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) a day to sixty-four people who had all five symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Sixty-six people were included as controls. The study lasted six months.
 

Pycnogenol helped all five symptoms. It decreased waist circumference, triglycerides, blood pressure and blood glucose levels while increasing HDL cholesterol.
 

This study adds to the evidence discussed in The Natural Path that proanthocyanidins from grapeseed extract and pine bark extract can be beneficial for metabolic syndrome.

Phytother Res 2013 [e-pub ahead of print],doi:10.1002/ptr.4883