2008年5月28日
实验证明，碧萝芷®中的天然成分可以降低糖尿病患者患心血管疾病的风险
Study Shows Pycnogenol® Naturally Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Diabetics

        碧萝芷®可以进一步控制血糖并可以减少患者降压药物的剂量
        Pycnogenol® improved diabetes control and reduced antihypertensive medications

        在《营养学研究》杂志2008年5月刊 (Volume 28, issue 5, P315-320)中发表的实验文章发现，提取自法国沿海松树树皮的抗氧化植物提取物碧萝芷®可以降低II型糖尿病患者的血糖，减少患者的降压药物用量，并降低患者患心血管疾病的风险。实验在美国亚利桑那大学图森分校进行，实验结果说明，碧萝芷®可以作为一种处方药替代药物，为美国2千万糖尿病患者带来福音。
        A new study published in the May 2008 (volume 28, issue 25) edition of the journal of Nutrition Research shows Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, reduces blood sugar in type II diabetes patients, allows people to lower their antihypertensive medication and improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The study, conducted at the University of Arizona, Tucson, indicates Pycnogenol® may serve as a potent adjunct to prescription medications for the 20 million people in the Unites States living with diabetes.

        “II型糖尿病患者中有很大一部分人都患有高胆固醇，其中有一半的人患有高血压疾病。有大量的实验资料证实，碧萝芷®可以对II型糖尿病患者以及正常人群发挥多种心血管保健作用，”实验主要负责人Ronald Watson博士说。“之前的实验已经证实，碧萝芷®可以减少血小板凝聚、降低LDL、增加HDL、改善高血压，等等。但是此次实验的重要成果是，碧萝芷®可以同时降低血糖、降低LDL胆固醇、并降低血压。因此，此次实验首先发现了碧萝芷®可以用来保护肾脏功能的潜力。”
        “Most people with type II diabetes have cholesterol problems and half of those people experience hypertension. It has been documented that Pycnogenol? mediates a number of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system for diabetics and healthy individuals,” said Dr. Ronald Watson, a lead researcher of the study.” Previous studies have shown Pycnogenol? supplementation to be associated with reducing platelet aggregation, lowering LDL and increasing HDL cholesterol and modifying hypertension, among others. But what really makes the study results compelling is Pycnogenol? simultaneously lowered blood glucose, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure in patients. Furthermore, this is the first study suggesting that Pycnogenol? might also be beneficial in protecting kidney function in diabetics.”

        这项为期12周的、随机的、双盲的、有安慰剂组对照的组织了48名年龄在40-75岁的男性和女性患者，这些患者均患有非胰岛素依赖II型糖尿病，服用甲福明二甲双胍、磺脲和glitazones降糖降压药物。另外，这些患者还服用ACE阻断降压药物，比如赖诺普利。虽然患者一直在服用处方药物，但是，实验前的体检显示，患者的平均血糖指标还是高于健康值（142mg/dL），平均收缩压为139mmHg。患者被随机分为2组，分别接受碧萝芷®治疗（25毫克，每天5次）和安慰剂治疗。实验期间，受实验者不必停服处方药物。
         The 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial consisted of 48 men and women, 40 to 75 years of age, with noninsulin-dependent type II diabetes, taking anti-diabetic medication with metformin, sulfonylurea and glitazones. Furthermore, they took antihypertensive medications with ACE inhibitors such as Lisinopril. Despite their medication their fasting blood sugar was above healthy values (142 mg/dL) and their average systolic blood pressure was 139 mmHg subjects were randomly assigned to receive either Pycnogenol? (25 mg, 5 times daily) or matched placebo. Participants were instructed to continue taking their prescription medications.

        实验记录下病人的血压数据和心率竖直作为基数，在每两周一次的跟踪检查时，实验人员会在将病人的血压控制在130mmHg的前提下，适度减少患者的降压药物剂量。在每月一次的复查中，实验人员会回收统计患者没有服用的处方药。在实验的第4周、第8周和第12周采集病人血糖、LDL胆固醇、和内皮素-1的指标，并于基数进行比较。同时每月采集一次病人的尿蛋白浓度指标，进行分析。
         Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at baseline and at biweekly follow-up visits physicians tried to lower the patient’s individual anti-hypertensive medication with aim to keep it below 130 mmHg. At monthly follow-up visits, all unused prescription medications were collected and counted. Change from baseline at weeks four, eight and 12 were calculated after eight hours of fasting for assessing plasma glucose, LDL cholesterol and endothelin-1. Urinary protein concentration was measured from spot urine samples on a monthly basis.

        实验结束时，碧萝芷®组的数据显示，碧萝芷®对58.3%的患者产生了控制血压功效，是患者的降压药物减少了50%。患者的血清内皮素-1数值降低了17.8，内皮素-1是一种类似于荷尔蒙的血管紧缩素，糖尿病患者血清内皮素-1数值高于正常值是一个典型的特征。动脉的紧缩被认为是引起高血压得主要原因，研究人员认为，碧萝芷®可以发挥降低血压的作用也是因为碧萝芷®可以降低血清内皮素-1。患者的血糖平均值由实验前的142.3mg/dL降到了符合健康值的118.6，仅仅12周，就降低了16.7%。低密度脂蛋白胆固醇的指标也得到了显著的改善，降低了11.9%。
         In the Pycnogenol? treated groups, results revealed Pycnogenol? achieved blood pressure control in 58.3 percent of patients at the end of the 12 weeks with 50 percent reduction in prescription medications. Plasma endothelin-1, a very potent hormone-like arterial constrictor which is typically elevated in diabetes patients, decreased by 17.8 percent. The constriction of arteries is believed to be the cause of hypertension and the decreased endothelin-1 with Pycnogenol? is suggested to be the cause for the healthier blood pressure. The mean average blood glucose decreased from high 142.3 mg/dL to a healthy value 118.6, a decrease by 16.7% after 12 weeks. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol improved significantly, declining by 11.9%.

        “将碧萝芷®与处方药物搭配使用，可以将病人的血糖见到健康水平，可以让半数的病人恢复健康血压、同时让58%的患者减少降压药物的服用剂量，这真是太难以置信了，”Watson说。“一个确凿的新发现是，碧萝芷可以保护糖尿病患者的肾脏健康。这个课题将是我们之后研究的重点方向。应当将碧萝芷®作为必须的复制治疗成分，让病人在服用处方药物时一同服用，起到预防心脑血管疾病的作用。”
         “It is amazing to see that adding Pycnogenol? to the regimen of prescription medication brought blood glucose to healthy levels, allowed half the patients to reach healthy blood pressure and enabled 58% to even lower their anti-hypertensive medication,” said Watson. “An absolutely new finding is that Pycnogenol? appears to improve kidney function in diabetic people, this deserves more attention in future investigations. Pycnogenol? should be standard adjunct to pharmaceutical treatment of diabetic patients to help control an array of cardiovascular problems.”

        仅在过去4年间，就有多篇有关碧萝芷对糖尿病患者的保健功效的实验文章发表。在2004年3月刊的《糖尿病保健》杂志上刊登的文章指出，碧萝芷可以降低病人的血糖，同时不会扰乱胰岛素水平。在2006年10月的《血管血通讯》上刊登的文章指出，碧萝芷可以减少糖尿病患者的微血管病。同年，《临床和实用血栓症/止血法》上还有文章指出，碧萝芷可以治愈患有腿部溃疡的糖尿病患者的患处。另外，经证实，碧萝芷还可以降低II型糖尿病患者空腹和餐后血清血糖水平，以及糖基化血色素水平。早先，一项有1000名糖尿病患者参加的实验显示，碧萝芷可以封堵渗漏的眼部毛细血管。这一功效可以停止糖尿病性视网膜疾病的恶化，糖尿病性视网膜疾病是一种糖尿病并发症，严重会导致病人失明。
         In the past four years alone, numerous studies have been published on Pycnogenol’s? health benefits for people living with diabetes. In a study published in the March 2004 Diabetes Care, Pycnogenol? was shown to lower blood sugar levels and not affect insulin levels. The October 2006 journal of Angiology revealed Pycnogenol? reduces diabetic microangiopathy and in 2006, published research in the July journal of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis revealed Pycnogenol? heals leg ulcers in patients who suffer from diabetic leg ulcerations. Additionally, Pycnogenol? has been shown to reduce fasting and postprandial serum glucose levels and glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with type II diabetes. And, earlier studies with more than 1,000 diabetes patients, showed that Pycnogenol? has the ability to seal leaky capillaries in the eye. This capability stops the progression of vision loss in patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes-induced eye disease that ultimately leads to blindness.