A new study indicates that the
flavonol Pycnogenol can help improve memory in the elderly
- findings the researchers say support putative benefits
of antioxidants for cognitive function.
Pycnogenol is extracted from the bark of the Maritime pine
that grows on the southern coast of France, and is
currently used in over 400 dietary supplements,
multi-vitamins and health products. It is made by Horphag
Research and its US distributor is Natural Health Science.
It is thought that one of the main causes of ageing is
damage to macromolecules caused by the reactive
by-products of oxidative metabolism - and the ageing brain
is particularly susceptible to oxidative injury.
In addition to examining the effects of Pycnogenol on a
range of cognitive and biochemical measures in 101
seniors, aged between 60 and 80 years, the new study,
which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of
Psychopharmacology, also looked at this oxidative stress
hypothesis of ageing and neurological degeneration in
elderly individuals.
Conducted at the Centre for Neuropsychology at Swinburne
University in Melbourne, Australia, the study used a
double-blind, placebo controlled and matched-pairs design.
The participants were divided into two groups which were
matched by age, sex, body mass index, micronutrient intake
and intelligence.
They received a daily dose of 150mg of Pycnogenol over a
three month period, and were assessed at baseline, then
one, two, and three months into the treatment. The
assessment involved cognitive tasks, conducted using a
computerised system, to measure attention, working memory,
episodic memory and psycho-motor performance.
The researchers, led by Dr Con Stough, found that, after
three months, the participants receiving Pycnogenol had
"significantly improved" memory, as seen in a factor that
combined accuracy scored from spatial working memory and
numeric working memory tasks.
In addition, the team measured a number of biological
markers: levels of clinical hepatic enzymes, serum lipid
profile, human growth hormone and lipid peroxidation
products.
The team found that there was a statistically significant
relationship between memory-based cognitive variables and
lipid peroxidation products. A marker known as
F2-isoprostanes, which developed when unsaturated fatty
acids are oxidised, was seen to be present in high
quantities in the nerve cell membranes.
Study participants in the Pycnogenol group were seen to
have improved performance on working memory measures and
decreased concentrations of f2-isoprostanes, compared to
those in the placebo group.
"These results support research from a range of
disciplines that suggest that antioxiodants may have an
effect in preserving or enhancing specific mental
functions," said Dr Stough in a communication about the
results. "Cognitive research in this area specifically
indicates that the putative benefits associated with
antioxidant supplementation are associated with memory."
However in the conclusion to the study, Stough said that
further research should expand the study over two to three
years, and with more subjects.
In addition, since molecular oxidative injury to neural
cells over a period of more than five years is strongly
associated with age-related cognitive impairment
developing into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, he
said that further research should look at the effects of
Pycnogenol in preventing these.
Pycnogenol has previously been researched for other
cognitive function benefits, including in children
affected by Attention Deficit Disorder.
Source
Journal of Psycopharmacology
(publication issue not yet known)
"An examination of the effects of the antioxidant
Pycnogenol on cognitive performance, serum lipid profile,
endocrinological and oxidative stress biomarkers in an
elderly population".
Authors: Jacob Ryan, Kevin Croft, Keith Wesnes and Con
Stough
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