Why should I
take Proanthenols?
Proanthenols contains real antioxidant protection based
upon 50 years of research by Dr. Jack Masquelier and Berkem Laboratories
in Southern France. The main
ingredient, Real OPCs, extracted from grape seeds and pine bark, provides
superior antioxidant protection that is 50 times more powerful than
vitamin E and 20 times more powerful than vitamin C. And, Proanthenols
helps all other antioxidants (including vitamins C and E) work better!
Real OPCs protect your cells against free radical attack and support the
collagen structure of all the organs in your body. Proanthenols is
definitely one of our most significant products.
Antioxidants Protect Against Free Radical Attack
Cigarette smoke, air pollution, alcohol, drugs,
radiation, and chemicals —what do all these have in common? They generate
free radicals, which cause “oxidative stress”. Free radicals attack many
of your vital cellular components, including cellular membranes. They also
stimulate processes that have been linked to accelerated cellular
aging.
Proanthenols contains the exclusive
Real OPCs extracted by Berkem Laboratories from both grape seeds and pine
bark as based on research by Dr. Jack Masquelier, Professor from the
University of Bordeaux in Southern France. He discovered this
class of nutrients, which are known collectively as Oligomeric
ProanthoCyanidins, in the late 1940’s. Continued research since then has
resulted in this wonderful natural extract. The Real OPCs in Proanthenols is 100%
bioavailable and 100% residue-free.
Real OPCs Make The Difference
It is important to understand the difference
between Real OPCs™ and
ordinary grape seed extracts, which are often nothing more than ground-up
or slightly extracted grape seeds. Independent laboratory tests have shown
the Real OPCs extract in Proanthenols to be more reliable at neutralizing
free radicals than other grape seed extracts.
OPCs are classed with the broad group of naturally
occurring antioxidant substances found in plants known as polyphenolic
flavonoids. Dr. Masquelier has shown that OPCs are present in literally
hundreds of plants. However, two of the best sources are grape seeds and
pine bark, from which OPCs are extracted. Berkem Laboratories in Southern
France is the most knowledgeable and experienced company in the world that produces high-quality OPC extracts.
Berkem worked closely with Dr. Jack Masquelier for many
years, perfecting the commercial extraction technique based on his
scientific protocols over several decades. The resultant product contains
the purest, most consistently reliable OPC available–the standard against
which all others are compared.
Unfortunately, the terms “grape seed extract” and “pine
bark extract” have generally been used by companies to make their products
more marketable. One thing is certain, generic grape seed or pine bark
extracts are not comparable to high-quality Real OPCs; these generic
extracts are worlds apart from the composition of Real
OPCs, and so are their health-supporting benefits.
French Explorer Jacques Cartier
From a historical viewpoint, it is interesting to study
the documents of Jacques Cartier, a French explorer whose crew were dying
of scurvy in the winter of 1534-1535. Scurvy, a deficiency of vitamin C
(ascorbic acid), occurs after several months without fresh fruits and
vegetables in the diet. The dying men drank a tea made from the needles
and bark of pine trees and used the solid residue as a poultice placed
over swollen joints. Incredibly the men who had been dying a short time
before were led to complete recovery within a week of this incredible
find.
Networking Antioxidants Make the Difference
Research by Dr. Masquelier and colleagues have shown
that Real OPCs make vitamin C more effective, and can even substitute for
its functions. The Real OPCs contained in Proanthenols provide 50 times
the antioxidant protection of vitamin E and 20 times that of vitamin
C.
Vascular Health
Vascular health has been shown to be supported by
supplementation with OPCs. Actually, OPCs are unique among antioxidants,
due to their complex mixture of different sized molecules (oligomers).
This complex mixture enables them to function as an antioxidant network
in-and-of themselves; they also protect other important antioxidant
reserves in the body, such as glutathione and vitamin E.
Life Plus combines Real OPCs with a proprietary blend
of bioflavonoids including citrus flavonoids, hesperidin, rutin,
quercetin, and even vitamin C. Of course, we’ve included our exclusive
PhytoZyme™ Base of concentrates from over 30 specially selected fruit,
vegetable, and herbal concentrates to further enhance its benefits.
Supports Collagen
In addition to antioxidant protection, Real OPCs also
support collagen and help maintain elastin throughout your whole body.
These two critical proteins are major components of all your connective
tissues and organs. They are responsible for maintaining structural
integrity as well as the elasticity of all the tissues throughout your
body. This includes your joints, blood vessels, skin, ligaments, tendons,
muscles, and even your heart. By maintaining healthy levels of structural
collagen and elastin, your body is able to continue to function more
efficiently and maintain its youthful strength and flexibility longer. The
OPCs in Proanthenols actually attach to “reactive sites” on collagen
molecules and protect them from free radical attack. This is one of the
reasons they are so protective and so valuable for your circulatory
system.
Support Vision
Double blind studies have shown that OPCs actually
strengthen capillaries (the tiniest of all blood vessels) while using as
little as 100 mg per day.
A clinical study has also demonstrated that OPCs help
to maintain and support visual performance in the dark and after exposure
to glare in healthy people with normal vision. Research at Loma Linda
University, which showed protective effects of OPCs on blood vessels in
various experimental models, has also suggested that OPCs may play a role
in helping to maintain healthy mental function as people age.
When you purchase Life Plus Proanthenols, you can rely
on getting only the best Real OPCs that have been extracted by methods
pioneered and developed by Dr. Masquelier, then refined and implemented by
Berkem Laboratories.
Proanthenols are at the heart of the Life Plus
Difference!
DIRECTIONS: One tablet twice a day.
More may be
taken if desired.
Contains
CytoFlav-C™, a secret blend of Bioflavonoids and Vitamin C, in the
proprietary PhytoZyme™ base of phytonutrients and plant enzymes. Life Plus' "Real OPC™" is a
pharmaceutical-grade, 100% bioavailable, residue free grape seed and pine
bark extract that is manufactured and supplied by Berkem Laboratories in
France and developed in cooperation with Dr. Jack Masquelier at the
University of Bordeaux. Protected under US Patent 4,698,360.
Contains no
artificial preservatives, sugar, starch, caffeine, salt, wheat, gluten,
yeast, corn, milk, egg, shellfish, soya derivatives, artificial
sweetening, flavoring or coloring agents.
Contains no
ingredients from animal sources.
Not Tested on
Animals.
References:
1. Rohdewald P.
Pycnogenol® In: Flavonoids in Health and Disease. Rice-Evans C and Packer
L (ed.) Marcel Dekkar, Inc 1998; 406.
2. Laperra J, Michaud J.
Masquelier J.: Etude Pharmacoccinetique des olitgomeres flavanoliques;
Plates medicinales et phytotherapie, 1977, Tome XL.
3. Schwitters B,
Masquelier J. OPC in Practice Alpha Omega Editrice, Rome, Italy,
1995.
4. Packer L, Rimbach G, Virgili F: Antioxidant activity and
biologic properties of a procyanidin rich extract from pine (Pinus
maritime) bark, pycnogenol. Free Rad Biol Med 1999 September.
5. Blazso
G, Gabor M, Rohdewald P. Anti-inflammatory activities of procyanidins
containing extracts from Pinus pinaster Ait. after oral and cutaneous
application. Pharmazie, 1997.
6. Thebaut JF, Thebaut P, Vin F. Study of
Endotelon in functional manifestations of peripheral venous insufficiency.
Gazettte Medicale 1985.
7. Huynh HT, Teel RW: Selective induction of apoptosis
in human mammary cancer cells (MCF-7) by pycnogenol; Anticancer Res 2000
Jul-Aug.
8. Blazso G, Gaspar R, Gabor M, et al. ACE inhibition and
hypotensive effect of a procyanidins containing extract from the bark of
Pinus pinaster Sol. Pharm Pharmacol Lett 1996;6.
* The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or
prevent any disease.
