Pycnogenol® Subject of Two Studies

 HOBOKEN, N.J.Two new studies examined the effects of the pine bark extract Pycnogenol® on muscle recovery and childrens health. The first study, published in Angiology (57, 3:331-9, 2006), involved 113 participants at LAquila University in Italy and the University of Wurzburg in Germany in which researchers looked at Pycnogenols impact on venous disorders and cramping. In one portion, 66 participants received 200 mg/d of Pycnogenol for four weeks and the incidence of exercise-induced cramping determined after the intervention; supplementation significantly decreased the number of cramps. In the second portion, 47 participants with diabetic microangiopathy or intermittent claudication received 200 mg/d of Pycnogenol for one week, which was found to significantly reduce pain. The researchers concluded Pycnogenols ability to improve the blood supply to muscle tissue can alleviate muscle cramping and pain, and may help in exercise recovery.

In the second study, published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (ePub May 13, 2006, DOI: 10.1007/s00787-006-0538-3), researchers from the Children University Hospital in Slovakia administered 1 mg/kg body weight/d of the extract to 41 children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); 16 matched children with ADHD received a placebo. Intervention with Pycnogenol reduced hyperactivity and improved attention, concentration and motor-visual coordination. One month after ending treatment, symptoms returned to their pre-intervention levels.