Pycnogenol® Keeps Memory In Shape

With increasing age it gets more and more annoying: we can't remember phone numbers, we keep on searching for keys, we return from the supermarket and realize we've forgotten half the items. We come across people we know but are momentarily unable to recall their names.

This is a natural sign of ageing. To some extent this memory loss can be delayed by regularly stimulating the mind, often referred to as "mental exercise". Healthy nutrition is often claimed of being helpful, but no comprehensive guidelines are available. A solution now has been discovered by Dr. Benjamin Lau and his colleagues from the Loma Linda University in California.

Dr. Lau investigated memory retention and learning ability of mice and explored the possibility to retard age-related deterioration by giving food supplements. He discovered that older mice which had regularly received an extract of the bark of the French maritime pine, Pycnogenol®, showed a markedly improved memory and learning ability. In fact, older mice treated with Pycnogenol® for two months almost retained levels of young mice. Other researchers who carried out related studies with an extract of Gingko biloba, fed 10 to 20 times the amount to mice.

Recent studies have demonstrated how effective Pycnogenol® shields neuronal cells from oxidative stress. Dr. Dave Schubert of the Salk Institute (La Jolla) found that Pycnogenol® is so powerful it completely prevents oxidative damage caused by amyloid-ß, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Lester Packer (University of California, Berkeley) has recently shown that Pycnogenol® protects neuronal cells from dangers of the flavor enhancer glutamate.

The nervous system consists of very fragile cells and for optimum performance they depend on excellent protection, as provided by Pycnogenol®. We need all our mental capacity to stay competitive in the modern world of today, where knowledge and information are the keys to success. Pycnogenol® helps us to keep the pace.

Effects of Pycnogenol® on memory retention.
The number of mice which successfully remembered to avoid leaving a platform was recorded over 10 days. Young control mice (squares); old mice (circles); old mice fed with Pycnogenol®, 5 mg/kg (open triangles), 10 mg/kg (solid triangles). Significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed between old mice and old mice fed with Pycnogenol®.

1. Kiu F, Zhang Y, Lau BHS. Pycnogenol improves learning impairment and memory deficit in senescence-accelerated mice. J Anti-Aging Medicine 2 (4): 349-355, 1999.
2. Rohdewald P. Pycnogenol. In: Flavonoids in health and disease. Ed. C.A. Rice-Evans and L. Packer. Marcel Dekker, Inc. 405-419, 1998.
3. Kobayashi MS, Han D, Packer L. Antioxidants and herbal extracts protect HT-4 neuronal cells against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity. Free Rad Res 32: 115-124, 2000.
4. Stoll S, Pohl O, Scheuer K, Müller WE. Gingko biloba extract (EGb 761) attenuates age-related memory deficits in female NMRI mice. Pharmacopsychiat. 26: 204, 1993.

A new study by Dr. Benjamin Lau and his colleagues of the Loma Linda University, California, has revealed that an extract of French maritime pine bark, Pycnogenol®, assists in preventing damage caused by the key protein involved in development of Alzheimer's disease: amyloid b. Brains of Alzheimer patients typically show deposits of amyloid b, known to generate oxidative stress causing neuronal loss and vascular damage.

Dr. Lau has discovered that Pycnogenol®, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants currently known, could help to prevent vascular damage in the brain by amyloid b. Blood vessel cells resisted the toxicity of amyloid b when Pycnogenol® was present. This adds further evidence for a role for Pycnogenol® to prevent ageing related deterioration of the brain.

Neuronal cells are also protected from amyloid b-induced damage by Pycnogenol®. This has been shown by Dr. Dave Schubert of the Salk Institute (La Jolla, California).

The positive influence of Pycnogenol® on brain function has been demonstrated by Dr. Lau. He counter acted age-related deterioration of memory retention and learning ability of old mice by supplementing them with Pycnogenol®. Older mice regularly fed with Pycnogenol® showed markedly improved memory and learning ability in comparison to their littermates without Pycnogenol®. Moreover, older mice treated with Pycnogenol® for two months retained memory levels almost equal to those of young mice. Other researchers who carried out related studies with an extract of Gingko biloba had to feed 10 to 20 times as much to mice.

These studies suggest that supplementation with the powerful antioxidant Pycnogenol®, exclusively available from Horphag Research, may assist retention of a fully able brain. Regular Pycnogenol® supplementation is also an investment for the future, as it may help to prevent the tragedy of Alzheimer's disease.

1. Liu F, Lau BHS, Peng Q, Shah V. Pycnogenol protects vascular endothelial cells from b-amyloid-induced injury. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 23(6): 735-737, 2000.
2. Kiu F, Zhang Y, Lau BHS. Pycnogenol improves learning impairment and memory deficit in senescence-accelerated mice. J. Anti-Aging Medicine 2 (4): 349-355, 1999.
3. Rohdewald P. Pycnogenol. In: Flavonoids in health and disease. Ed. C.A. Rice-Evans and L. Packer. Marcel Dekker, Inc. 405-419, 1998.
4. Stoll S, Pohl O, Scheuer K, Müller WE. Gingko biloba extract (EGb 761) attenuates age-related memory deficits in female NMRI mice. Pharmacopsychiat. 26: 204, 1993.