Proanthenols

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.

It also protects brain and nerve tissue with its nearly unique ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.  Proanthenols is definately one of our most significant products.

It also reduces inflammation and improves circulation, both relieving the distresses of arthritis, diabetes and stroke and promoting prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

And its ability to bond to collagen promotes renewed youthfulness, flexibility and body integrity---- even allowing it to function as an "oral cosmetic."

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.

HISTORY

In 1928, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi isolated Vitamin C. It helped prevent scurvy, but results were not consistent. He later isolated bioflavonoids, which he called Vitamin P. He blended the two together and called the mixture "citrin," which was more reliable but still inconsistent.

Then in 1947, Professor Dr. Jack Masquelier, working at the University of Bordeaux, isolated the first proanthocyanidins or OPC's ever identified. It shed light on the colorless OPC's that had a vascular protective effect greater than Szent-Gorgyi's citrin. OPC's were different than the bioflavonoids isolated earlier.

In 1948 and in 1951, Masquelier registered his first patents. In later patents, he described methods to obtain OPC's from grape seeds. Most importantly, his 1987 U.S. Patent No. 4,698,360 granted the exclusive right to use OPC's as antioxidants to protect the body "against the harmful biological effects of free radicals."

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!

The Benefits of Proanthocyanidins found in Proanthenols

• Improves skin smoothness and elasticity.
• Strengthens capillaries, arteries and veins.
• Improves circulation and enhances cell vitality.
• Reduces capillary fragility and improves resistance to bruising and strokes.
• Reduces risk of phlebitis.
• Reduces varicose veins.
• Reduces edema and swelling of the legs.
• Helps restless-leg syndrome.
• Reduces diabetic retinopathy.
• Improves visual acuity.
• Helps improve sluggish memory.
• Reduces the effects of stress.
• Improves joint flexibility.
• Fights inflammation in arthritis and sport injuries.

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.
9. The New Superantioxidant Plus by Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D, 1992.

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.

How To Order Proanthenols At Our Secure Website

Additional Product Options To Ensure Better Health

Diet and exercise play an important role in maintaining healthy joints and muscles. Be sure to spend sufficient time warming up before your exercise routine and cooling down afterwards. Here are other products to consider:

Colon Formula helps to keep the transit time of digested food through your colon at a healthy rate and promotes routine elimination.

Daily BioBasics is a nutritional powerhouse that helps boost energy levels, promotes circulation which enriches brainpower, sustains calcium levels and provides your body the essential vitamins and minerals it needs on a daily basis.

Xtra Antioxidants contains many different synergistic antioxidant nutrients, including the basic vitamins A, C, and E, as well as potent extracts from certain plants rich in antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols and flavonoids to provide a broad spectrum of antioxidants for optimal function of your body’s antioxidant network.

For additional information on Proanthenols, click here, use the search method to purchase books on super antioxidants.

Once again, Proanthenols is a super antioxidant which contains real antioxidant protection based upon 50+ years of research by Dr. Jack Masquelier and Berkem Laboratories in Southern France.  Proanthenols is best for overall nutritional support and protection! Proanthenols provide additional nutritional support to help maintain healthy elastin throughout your whole body.