Could Pine Bark Aid Your Fitness And Recovery?

Are you struggling to stick to your weight loss and fitness regime? You know that you have to stick with it for the sake of your wellness and wellbeing, but getting into the right mindset and finding the motivation can be incredibly difficult. Could the bark from pine trees change all that and help you to stay on track?

 

A scientific study into the use of the extract has shown that pine bark can be very effective when it comes to reducing the soreness of muscles and the post-workout cramps. It can also improve your endurance and performance during your workout.

 

The study into this extract has recently been published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. The clinical trial for pine bark analysed the results of 147 recreational athletes.

 

The group was divided in two: one half of the group supplemented their normal diet with extract of pine bark (known in the supplements world as Pycnogenol) and the other half of the group had no extra extracts. The trial lasted for eight weeks.

 

At the end of the eight weeks, those participants who took extract of pine bark were able to do a two-mile run two minutes faster than they were when they first started the trial. They also were able to improve their endurance by 25 percent when doing a push up test, and they increased their sit up two-minute challenge by 15 percent.

 

The researchers also did the same kind of study on a group of 54 male triathletes and found that those who took extract of pine bark improved their 100 minute triathlon times by around 10 minutes by the end of a four-week period.

 

This study seems to prove conclusively that taking pine bark extract every day helps to increase physical performance and to reduce the pain and muscular ache normally associated with the post-workout period.

Categories: bark, extract, fitness, nbsp, pine, pine bark, Post-Workout, study

Grape Seed Extract: Next Big Thing in Arthritis Treatment?

There are a limited number of alternative, complementary treatment options when you have rheumatoid arthritis. There are omega-3 fatty acids, acupuncture, and curcumin, but other than that your wellness seems to be in the hands of Western medicine. Yet, one more therapy may be soon joining this exclusive club, as it has been the subject of several recent studies; grape seed extract.

Grapes and red wine are known to benefit your wellness. Studies have shown that they are a good source of antioxidants and one certain phytonutrient, resveratrol, which has beneficial effects on heart disease, aging, and other health issues. But what about the grape seeds themselves? In the seeds of grapes, compared to the skin or pulp, there are extremely high concentrations of vitamin E, linoleic acid, flavonoids, and oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs). All of these are potent antioxidants which help chronic venous insufficiency (accumulation of blood pools in the legs).

So what does the evidence suggest? A recent PLoS ONE study investigated whether or not grape seed proanthocyanid extract could have an impact on bone damage and chronic inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers discovered that, in mice, grape seed extract relieves symptoms associated with cartilage and bone damage and, in people, stops osteoclastogenesis, a process by which your bone cells break down and destroy bone. Grape seed extract also provided antioxidant benefits in the cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and the researchers concluded that it ‘may be beneficial for the treatment of inflammation-associated bone destruction.’

Another study looked into how grape seed extract’s anti-inflammatory properties work, and whether they could be helpful in reducing symptoms of autoimmune arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers discovered that, in human cells and in mice, grape seed extract reduced the levels of certain key arthritis related factors. Thus, the investigators concluded that grape seed extract ‘may serve as a possible novel therapeutic agent for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.’

So what does this mean for you? It’s far too early for anyone to recommend grape seed extract for rheumatoid arthritis, but the nutrient is considered safe and people do take this supplement for a number of other conditions. If you are considering the product, make sure it contains at least a 95% OPC content, or else is standardised to 40 to 80% percent proanthocyanidins. As always, before you take a supplement you should consult your doctor.

Grape Seed Extract: Next Big Thing in Arthritis Treatment?

Categories: Antioxidants, Arthritis, extract, grape, grape seed, Grape Seed Extract, mice grape, researchers discovered, Rheumatoid Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), seed, seed extract