Pine Bark Extract and CoQ10 Benefit Heart Failure Patients

Pine Bark Extract and CoQ10 Demonstrate Benefits For

Heart Failure Patients

Antioxidants, Carotenoids, Phyto-Nutrients, Herbal & Plant Extracts For Supporting Cardiovascular Health Is The Focus Of Important New Research...

A combination of Coenzyme Q10 and an extract from French Maritime Pine Bark may improve blood flow and general heart health in heart failure patients, reports a new study from Italy.

According to findings published in Panminerva Medica, 12 weeks of daily supplementation with 350 milligrams of CoQ10 and 105 milligrams of pine bark extract (Pycnogenol brand-Horphag) were associated with a improvements in blood pressure and heart rate, compared to a group of people who did not take the supplements.

Furthermore, the combination of the nutrients increased the amount of blood pumped by the heart by 22 percent, reported researchers from Chieti-Pescara University, Italy.

"Coenzyme Q10 has been extensively researched for its ability
to strengthen the heart muscle, specifically in patients with heart failure. Preclinical trials have suggested that Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) strengthens heart chamber walls and dilates arteries."

"These preliminary observations suggest that the respective contributions of Coenzyme Q10 and Pycnogenol may significantly improve heart health."

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, an estimated 400,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure in the US each year.

Heart failure is develops as a result of high blood pressure (hypertension), when with heart chamber walls wear out and heart muscle weaken. The disease can be disabling, costly and potentially deadly and is characterized by the heart's inability to pump or eject sufficient amounts of blood to the organs.

"Many conditions that lead to heart failure cannot be reversed, but heart failure can often be medically managed with good results," the researchers explained.

"This study shows that a combination of Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) and CoQ10 offers an effective, natural solution as adjunct for heart health management."

Study details

The Italian researchers recruited 53 heart failure patients aged between 54 and 68 were randomly assigned to receive either the pine bark extract and CoQ10 supplement combination or placebo for 12 weeks.

Results showed that systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased following the CoQ10-pine bark combination, from 139.2 to 133.2 mmHg and 82.3 to 77.3 mmHg, respectively. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 140.3
to 139.5 mmHg and 83.4 to 81.2 mmHg, respectively, in the placebo group.

In addition to increases in the amount of blood pumped by the heart, the researchers also reported

improvements in heart rate were also observed in the pine bark extract and CoQ10 supplement group from 78.4 to 74.2 beats
per minute, compared with a decrease from 79.1 to 78.4 in the placebo group.

"The association of pine bark extract and CoQ10 may offer an important therapeutic option in the management and costs of heart failure, without side effects and with a very good tolerability," stated the researchers.

"These initial observations warrant further investigation of the nutritional supplement combination with a much larger number of heart failure patients including a broader range of clinical pictures," they concluded.

Source: Panminerva Medica
Volume 52, Supplement 1 to No 2, Pages 21-25
"Investigation of Pycnogenol in combination with coenzymeQ10 in heart failure patients "

This article is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to provide medical advice,diagnosis or treatment. Contact your doctor or healthcare professional for medical and nutritional consultation.