Source Naturals

Pine Bark Extract 60 tab.

• Contains proanthocyanidins OPC
• Shows health-promoting properties
• Antioxidant potential
• Improves the health of cardiovascular system
• Reduces oxidation of the LDL cholesterol
• Raises the level of the “good” HDL cholesterol
• Inhibits formation of atherosclerotic lesions
• Antimutagenic properties
• Enhances protection from cancers
• Support for the defence mechanisms of the body system

Source Naturals Pine Bark Extract is a dietary supplement in form of tablets, which contains an extract from Masson’s pine bark, a source of powerful antioxidants, proanthocyanidins OPC. The product has positive impact on the health of cardiovascular system and anticancer prevention as well as helps to reduce oxidative damage resulting from the negative influence of oxygen free radicals.

Masson’s pine bark contains one of the most powerful antioxidants. These are proanthocyanidins OPC, complex plant compounds from the group of flavonoids. Already the native Americans have known about the health-promoting properties of this plant, and nowadays the researchers gained fuller knowledge and discovered some facts which enable us to use the benefits of the supplementation.

Apart from the regular physical activity, general health condition of a man is influenced by his diet. Antioxidants are essential in everyday nutrition, as they support defence of the body system cells. Their level can be increased by the proper diet or high-quality supplements, such as Source Naturals Pine Bark Extract.

Flavonoids make up a large compound group whose properties are pretty wide and which are able to chelate the ions involved in the formation of radicals as well as to uptake singlet oxygen (which has high oxidative potential). Their action consists in donating hydrogen to stable molecules and restoring their antioxidant activity. Apart from that, they can neutralise peroxide anions, lipid radicals and hydroxyl radicals.

The biological activity of antioxidants consists mainly in reducing the oxidation of the LDL cholesterol fraction, increasing the level of the “good” HDL cholesterol, reducing general content of cholesterol in blood serum and preventing formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Moreover, these compounds show antimutagenic properties and reduce the risk of formation and progression of cancers.

Antioxidants in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases
The reason for many cardiovascular diseases are atherosclerotic changes, which result in atherosclerotic plaques formation and their storing on vascular walls, which closes blood vessels bore. A very important role in this process belongs to the low density lipoproteins (LDL), which get into the vascular endothelium where they are oxidated and activate the endothelium cells for the expression of proteins which enable the monocytes to get into the endothelium, promote their maturation and transformation into macrophages of characteristic foam structure (the so-called foam cells), which have special receptors uptaking oxidated forms of lipoproteins.

When the number of oxygen free radicals is high enough, the protein part of an LDL cell can be damaged and phagocyted by macrophages, which leads to the accumulation of lipids in their cells. This results in formation of atherosclerosis plaques, which hinder the proper blood circulation and the efficiency of the whole cardiovascular system. This process is accompanied by the secretion of large amounts of cytokines. Reduction in oxidation of LDL cholesterol lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. According to the present knowledge, consumption of food rich in antioxidants can reduce the risk of coronary disease.

Antioxidants in the prevention of cancers
Cancers are one of the main threats to civilisation which are responsible for the most of deaths in the whole world. Cancer formation is a multistage and long process. Damages to DNA caused by mutagenic factors (i.a. free radicals) are one of the most important inducers of carcinogenesis. The core role in the cancer formation belongs to mutation of genes which code proteins responsible for fixing DNA errors. Mutation within these genes induced by i.a. free radicals can cause initiation, promotion and progression of a cancer.

The literature says that the proper amounts of antioxidants significantly reduce the risk of cancer formation. Apart from oxidative DNA damages, also carcinogenes play an important role in cancer formation. In the most cases, they are present in form of procarcinogenes. Procarcinogene transformation into active carcinogenes is associated with oxidation processes. Factors reducing the activation of procarcinogenes include flavonoids, also these contained in the Source Naturals Pine Bark Extract – proanthocyanidins OPC.

Antioxidants are also important for the inhibition of development of already existing tumours. There are three main mechanism of inhibition and destruction of tumours. Antioxidants are involved in all of them.

The first one consists in increased immune protection of the body system, which results in better detection of cancer cells and promotes their destruction. It has been proven that antioxidants raise biosynthesis of cytotoxic cells, enhance production of cytokines and promote their migration to cancer cells, so that it is possible to destroy a proliferating tumour.

The second mechanism of tumour destruction is of genetic nature. Antioxidants play an important role in the control of the activity of p53 gene and reduce the expression of its mutations, which are called oncogene.

The third mechanism is inhibition of angiogenesis process, which is a formation of capillary vessel and circulation system of the tumour.