Supplementary management with Pycnogenol® in Parkinson's disease to prevent cognitive impairment 2020

[Bolt_Upright]

Somebody on FB just clued me into this: Supplementary management with Pycnogenol® in Parkinson's disease to prevent cognitive impairment pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/319...

Background: The aim of this registry study in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) in treatment, was to evaluate the effects of Pycnogenol® supplementation on some accessory symptoms and cognitive functions (COFU).

Methods: The registry included 43 PD patients who had been diagnosed at least one year before the start of the study. The PD condition was considered mild, with minimal progression. The management for these patients was a monotherapy using carbidopa/levodopa (standard management; SM). Supplementary Pycnogenol® was used at 150 mg/day for 4 weeks. The neurological management was not affected.

Results: Tolerability and safety were very good; the two registry groups were comparable with comparable symptoms at baseline. The most disabling symptoms were considered tremor, bradychinesia, alterations in COFU, rigidity and speech changes. All symptoms were rated as mild-to-moderate. After 4 weeks, these target symptoms were significantly attenuated with the supplement in comparison with the SM only (P<0.05). Particularly the COFU score was significantly higher (P<0.05) with the supplement. No interference between the main neurological management and the supplement was observed. Oxidative stress (plasma free radicals), high in both registry groups at inclusion, was significantly lower in the supplement group at 4 weeks (P<0.05). The main PD-associated items (cognitive aspects, motory and postural aspects) considered the most common and disturbing problems were evaluated and scored (0 to 4) with a visual scale line. At 4 weeks, the scores for all items were lower in the supplement group in comparison with the control, SM group. Peripheral edema was present in all patients at inclusion. The edema was minimal at inclusion (at the ankle-foot level with pretibial extension) and present in all subjects. It changed in two SM subjects and was still present at 4 weeks in 19 out 22 of the SM patients. In the supplemented patients, edema (present at inclusion in all subjects), was visible in 4 subjects out of 21 (19%) at 4 weeks.

Conclusions: Pycnogenol® supplementation may help in selected patients with PD - under stable neurological treatment - to improve some signs and symptoms and some aspects associated with COFU. Studies are in progress on a larger population sample and with new evaluation methods.

[Bolt_Upright]

Pycnogenol can boost your immune system. So if you’re on medication for auto-immune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and others. Or taking an immune suppressant for an organ transplant. You should avoid using Pine Bark Extract or Pycnogenol.

nootropicsexpert.com/pine-b...

[chartist in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Bolt,

I've used Pine Bark Extract/Pycnogenol /PBE at high dose to good effect for my psoriasis which is also considered an autoimmune health issue. Pycnogenol/PBE is known for being an effective anti inflammatory and antioxidant. It will vary in effects from person to person, but I wouldn't rule it out based on the suggestion that it boosts the immune system.

On a related note, I never noticed any difference between Pycnogenol and PBE. I also did not notice any discernible cognitive enhancement from its use over a one year+ period of testing. Grape Seed Extract (GSE) has very similar benefits.

Art

[Bolt_Upright in reply to chartist]

Thanks Art! I noticed the LiveStrong also says PBE and Pycnogenol are pretty much the same (although I would try to make sure it came from the same French Maritime Pine).

[chartist in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Other forms of pine such as Pinus Pinaster have also shown similar benefits, but the patent is on the product derived from the French Maritime Pine and the patent is why that product costs more than other PBE's.

Art