A Few Words About Atherosclerosis And A Potential Remedy

[chartist]

The main cause of death in the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Atherosclerosis is considered a main cause of CVD. I have previously written about the use of melatonin to prevent or treat CVD here:

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

The dominant cause of CVD is atherosclerosis as confirmed by the following article:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Here is a relevant quote from the article:

' Atherosclerosis is the dominant cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, stroke and claudication. '

Atherosclerosis is the name for the buildup of fatty plaques on the inside of the arterial walls which can eventually significantly reduce blood flow or completely block it, greatly increasing the chance for heart attack or stroke. If you've ever seen the inside of old galvanized plumbing and the buildup of minerals and rust inside of the pipe that gets so thick that you can no longer see daylight when looking through the inside of the pipe from one end to the other, this gives a good idea of what atherosclerosis is like.

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract (GSPE)

Several supplements are useful for atherosclerosis besides melatonin, and it is good to have an alternative to melatonin since some people do not tolerate melatonin. The one I would like to discuss today is grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) because it is a highly tolerable, very potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects and beneficial for multiple other health issues. I like when a supplement can do more than just one thing: treating the problem at hand and improving overall health.

In the following study linked below, GSPE showed that it can not only stop atherosclerosis, but it can slowly reverse it, which is actually a very safe way to do it. If you take something that starts breaking the plaques down too quickly, pieces of the plaque can break away and flow with the blood to another restricted area in the blood vessel and cause a complete blockage. So a slow and steady approach is likely a safer way to reverse atherosclerosis.

The reason this is very important is that doctors don't actually have a treatment for reversing or slowing atherosclerosis. Statins can reduce high cholesterol, but they don't stop atherosclerosis. If you start having problems caused by atherosclerosis, your doctor will put you on a blood thinner such as Warfarin, but this does nothing to stop or slow atherosclerosis progression. Worse yet, Warfarin has some pretty serious side effects, as listed here:

drugs.com/sfx/warfarin-side...

I didn't cut and paste all the side effects into this article because it looks like there are well over 50 of them, and some are very serious, such as this one:

Cardiovascular: Frequency not reported: Hemorrhage, purple toes syndrome, infarction, systemic cholesterol microembolization, vasculitis, systemic atheroemboli[Ref]

I don't understand how you treat a health issue with something that can cause much more damage than it is trying to fix! One look at that list of side effects, and Warfarin is now a drug that I will avoid like the plague if at all possible!

If your atherosclerosis is more severe, the doctor can surgically put stents in the blood vessel where the plaques have built up so much that blood can barely flow past the built up plaques or can no longer flow past the blockage of fatty deposits. A stent is basically a tube that is inserted into the blood vessel where the blockage is to allow the blood to flow through that area where the clog is. Again, this does nothing to slow, stop or reverse atherosclerosis.

Here is a link to the study with 287 participants with established atherosclerosis:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Here are some important quotes from this study illustrating how GSPE reduced plaque deposits over time, whereas the control group continued to increase plaque deposits in their arteries :

' Consecutive 287 patients diagnosed with asymptomatic carotid plaques or abnormal plaque free carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were randomly assigned to the GSPE group (n = 146) or control group (n = 141). The patients in the GSPE group received GSPE 200 mg per day orally, while patients in the control group were only enrolled in a lifestyle intervention program. '

' As anticipated, after treatment, GSPE resulted in significant reduction in MMCIMT progression (4.2% decrease after six months, 4.9% decrease after 12 months and 5.8% decrease after 24 months) and plaque score (10.9% decrease after six months, 24.1% decrease after 12 months and 33.1% decrease after 24 months) for the primary outcome, while MMCIMT and plaque score were stable and even increased with the time going on in control group. The number of plaques and unstable plaques also decreased after treatment of GSPE. Furthermore, the carotid plaque can disappear after treatment with GSPE. The incidence rate for transitory ischemic attack (TIA), arterial revascularization procedure, and hospital readmission for unstable angina in GSPE group were statistically significant lower (P = 0.02, 0.08, 0.002, respectively) compared with the control group. '

' GSPE inhibited the progression of MMCIMT and reduced carotid plaque size in GSPE treated patients, and with extended treatment, the superior efficacy on MMCIMT and carotid plaque occurred. Furthermore, the GSPE group showed lower rates of clinical vascular events. '

How Grape Seed Extract Reduces Plaque Over Time

The graph at the top of the page clearly illustrates how GSPE reverses the plaque score from a steady rise to a steady decline over time. Here is the link to the study that contains this graph. Again a steady decline as opposed to a too-fast decline, is a safe way to deal with atherosclerosis. The first graph illustrates the gradual reduction in intima media thickness by GSPE :

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

So this is an important study regarding one way to deal with atherosclerosis. This study was done in 2015, and had this study used a new prescription medication instead of GSPE, every cardiologist in the world would be prescribing such a drug to all of their patients and taking it themselves! It would be a blockbuster drug and any pharmaceutical company would be proud to have and sell it for a huge amount of money. GSPE is relatively inexpensive and readily available and its biggest side effects are other health benefits!

These were extraordinary results in fighting atherosclerosis, but imagine if you added another antiatherosclerosis supplement with the GSPE, such as melatonin or several others.

Dosage

Something interesting about this study is the dose of GSPE that they used of just 200 mg daily. Currently, many suppliers of GSPE are selling their products in 400 mg capsules. The GSPE I take are also 400 mg capsules, and I take the label recommended dose of 3 capsules per day for a total of 1200 mg of GSPE per day. One can only imagine what this study would have shown had they used 400 mg or 1200 mg per day.

Additional Benefit: Reduces Insulin Resistance

One important side effect (health benefit) of GSPE is that it helps reduce insulin resistance which is much more common than many people think, and you don't have to have diabetes to have insulin resistance. I wrote a little about GSPE and insulin resistance here:

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

Art

[Esperanto]

Thank you for the detailed information from GSPE. The list of possible benefits is even much longer. A natural remedy for depression, anti-cancer properties, fat loss benefits, good for your eyes and your skin, etc.

To avoid becoming a kind of clone of Bryan Johnson, “I Take 100+ Pills Every Day”, it may be at least as effective to just eat grapes and bite the seeds every now and then. Just as part of your (MIND) diet, my hobby horse. So if you don't make the choice for the tasteless seedless grape variety, you will not only limit yourself to the grape seeds, but also get the pulp and the also very nutrient-rich peels as an extra. In addition, you even can make very healthy dishes with the leaves.

As a bonus for you Art, you will also receive the melatonin for free 🙂

The presence of melatonin in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) berry tissues; 2011

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/216...

[chartist in reply to Esperanto]

You're welcome Esperanto! I really like supplements that have multiple beneficial health effects and GSPE and melatonin would easily fit into that category, but for those that are not able to use melatonin, GSPE can make a good substitute. For those who can tolerate both, I think the combination is a potentially very effective approach for dealing with atherosclerosis and CVD, the number one cause of death in the world that PwP are at increased risk for. So I thought this information would be very relevant on this forum.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Art

[Esperanto in reply to chartist]

Not very uplifting, but the reality we have to deal with. I will adjust my diet to consume more proanthocyanidin (OPC). It turns out that this is already an important part of the MIND diet and it may also explain why 1 glass of red wine is recommended per day!

For those who want to limit pill use, Royal Grape Seed has a recipe for an easy DIY Grapeseed Extract:

“Simply scoop 3 Tbsp of whole grape seeds into an 8 ounce glass, cover with boiling water, and let the seeds steep for 2-4 hours. After this time has passed, strain the seeds and table 1 Tbsp of the extract as your daily supplement. It’s that simple! Our DIY Grapeseed Extract has a pleasantly mild, dry taste, and can be taken alone or mixed into your morning coffee or tea, with juice, or in a smoothie or protein drink. When you make your own grapeseed extract using our whole grapeseeds, you’re avoiding consuming corn or other starches, gelatin capsules, and other unnecessary ingredients that contribute nothing to your health.”

[kaypeeoh]

I had 100% obstruction of the LAD; Lateral anterior Descending coronary artery. The obstruction was removed endoscopically and a stent was placed. No regrowth of the obstruction after two years. I still take one baby aspirin daily. Dr Attia speaks about heart disease here: mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#a...

I'm only half way through the article but it's an eye-opener.

[gaga1958 in reply to kaypeeoh]

i cant open this up. it wants an gmail acct to use it. are you able to send another way?

thx u

[kaypeeoh in reply to gaga1958]

It's on U-tube. Peter Attia #260

[gaga1958 in reply to kaypeeoh]

thxs

[LAJ12345]

restore gold has grape seed extract in it 60mg 4x per day.

[chartist in reply to LAJ12345]

That's right at the study dose!

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to chartist]

that’s good. It does seem to have some good stuff in it. Hubby has been taking it for ove 4 years now and he seems good at the moment. That and the Hardys seem to complement each other with not too much overlap.

[chartist in reply to LAJ12345]

I wish they were using at least 400 mg of GSPE.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to chartist]

it’s already 16 capsules per day 🤣plus 12 Hardys!

I give him the weekends off now in an attempt to cut back costs a little and it seems to be fine.

[chartist in reply to LAJ12345]

I'm glad to hear he is in a good place now and you have ironed out all of those wrinkles he was going through.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to chartist]

thanks, it appears they were caused by overdosing of levodopa and the side effects of new medications to counteract the levodopa overdose symptoms.

Plus I think the entacapone is helping. He is taking half the prescribed dose. I thought it might not as it’s a COMT inhibitor and his COMT is the only thing that is normal according to his gene test but by slowing that route it might be compensating for his fast dopa beta hydroxylase ? Also the very low dose of clonazapam is taking the edge off any anxiety. Seems with him very small amounts of things is best.

[chartist in reply to LAJ12345]

LAJ,

It might be worth updating that thread with this reply so more people can see how his situation evolved to this much better state, once you were able to figure out that the levodopa dose was too high and was causing him all of those problems.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to chartist]

ok I will try and find it.

[Oneworld23]

I'm a bit confused as the grapeseed supplements I bought contain 400mg of grape seed but recommended dose is one daily after food

[chartist in reply to Oneworld23]

This is what I take and it recommends three 400 mg capsules daily and that is what I use :

amazon.com/Carlyle-Grape-Ex...

Art

[Pegcity in reply to chartist]

I also take Carlyle but find 2 makes me dizzy for the rest of the day, even with food. Probably should go back to one, which is still 200 mg more than the study dose.

[chartist in reply to Pegcity]

Pegcity, I agree.

GSPE can lower blood pressure in some people and that can be a problem if your BP is already low. It can also help relieve stress at a relatively low dose of 300 mg/day as discussed here :

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

A relevant study quote :

' Thus, GSEe resulted in a benefit of modulating endothelial functionality and blood pressure. It was noteworthy that GSEe relieved the perceived stress, promising new future perspectives on mood comfort. '

My personal experience is that GSPE has little effect on my blood pressure, but the antiatherosclerosis, effect is one of the benefits I look for in it. I use an herbal supplement that controls my blood pressure very well and very significantly better than Amlodipine could.

Art

[Oneworld23]

Thank you Chartist I'll take a look as I think maybe to see the results I want I'll need to take more than one.

[chartist in reply to Oneworld23]

Keep in mind that the study only used 200 mg/day and still got slow and steady results. Based on another study, there is potential that more may work quicker.

Art

[Oneworld23 in reply to chartist]

Thank you. I will be able stop my statins, which is one thing I'll be very happy to do

[chartist in reply to Oneworld23]

Although GSPE has shown the ability to lower cholesterol, it is not potent at that activity. When combined with chromium the combination is synergistic and the two are more effective than either one alone as discussed here :

mountsinai.org/health-libra....

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

' A study of 40 people with high cholesterol looked at whether taking grape seed extract, chromium, a combination of both, or placebo for 2 months would lower cholesterol. The combination of grape seed extract and chromium was more effective than either grape seed alone or placebo in lowering total and LDL cholesterol. '

My personal favorite for lowering cholesterol is two tablespoons of soy lecithin granules per day.

Art

[Oneworld23]

Once again, many thanks for your input, you are very clued up and I am very grateful

[chartist in reply to Oneworld23]

Others that can be helpful for lowering cholesterol are fenugreek and apple cider vinegar (ACV), but my preference would remain soy lecithin granules. The downside to the ACV is that the acid can be very hard on tooth enamel relatively quickly, even if diluted. The downside to fenugreek is that it can lower cholesterol too much which is not good either and if you are not consistently being monitored you can end up with a problem.

Art

[Oneworld23]

Hmmm lots to digest. I've been loking into plant sterols too but it becomes a bit of a rabbit hole doesn't it?

[chartist]

Citrus Bergamot also works for some people at 1000 to 1300 mg/day and is simple enough.

Art