Pine Bark Extract May Boost Diabetic Eye Health
Lee Swanson Research Update
A new study out of Italy says that a supplement of French maritime pine bark extract may improve the flow of blood in the tiny blood vessels of the retina and enhance sight in diabetics with early-stage eye problems.
Visual acuity, or the clearness of vision, was found to improve from 14/20 to 17/20 in people with early stage retina damage associated with diabetes (diabetic retinopathy), following daily supplements of the pine bark extract, Pycnogenol®, for two months.
Forty-six diabetics participated in the randomized controlled study with the findings published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
“Our study suggests that Pycnogenol taken in the early stages of retinopathy may enhance retinal blood circulation accompanied by a regression of edema, which favorably improves vision of patients," said lead researcher Dr. Robert Steigerwalt. "Pycnogenol may be particularly beneficial for preventing this complication in diabetic patients, based on the large number of individuals who were diagnosed when the disease had already significantly progressed."
Researchers from G D’Annunzio University in Italy and Horphag Research, the company behind the pine bark extract, randomly assigned 24 subjects to receive a daily dose of 150 mg of Pycnogenol. Twenty-two other subjects received a placebo. All subjects had been diabetic for at least four years and showed early signs of retinopathy characterized by capillaries in the eye leaking fluid into the retina causing swelling.
At the end of the study, 75% of participants in the Pycnogenol group subjectively perceived improvements in their visual acuity. Tests showed a significant improvement in visual acuity from 14/20 to 17/20 after two months of Pycnogenol supplementation. No improvements were recorded in the placebo group.
Researchers concluded: "Pycnogenol taken at this early stage of retinopathy may enhance retinal blood circulation accompanied by regression of edema, which favorably improves vision of patients."
Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Published online ahead of print