Proanthocyanidin – A Most Powerful Antioxidant

Oxygen, which makes up 20 percent of the earth's atmosphere, is both the bane and boon of human existence. We need oxygen to convert protein, carbohydrate and fat to energy. Unfortunately, the oxygen we breathe can also activate a series of highly reactive chemicals called free radicals.

A free radical is a molecular structure that contains an unpaired electron. Electrons normally come in pairs. These pairs form the chemical bonds that hold all molecules together. The unpaired electron has an uncontrollable directive to combine. In fact, this impetus is so strong that the free radical has been called a "bullet” Each free radical is capable of destroying an enzyme or protein molecule or a complete cell. Allowed to increase without control, they can multiply geometrically by a process called free radical chain-carrying mechanism. This is a chain reaction results in the release of thousands of free radicals. These reactive substances can damage cell structures so badly that immunity is impaired and DNA codes are altered, resulting in degenerative disease, including heart disease, cancer, premature aging, and a diminished lifespan.

Factors responsible for susceptibility to free radical-induced disease may be classified into two broad groups - genetics and environment.  Of these, free radical reactions induced by environmental factors are the most preventable and correctable.  Environmental free radicals are generated from a variety of sources, including ionizing radiation from ultraviolet light, therapeutic and diagnostic x-rays, cosmic background radiation, nuclear fallout and gamma radiation, certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cigarette smoke, pesticides and rancid foods. Obviously, some of these are beyond our control to avoid, but those that can be – avoid them!  Cigarette smoke, when inhaled into the lungs, liberates billions of free radicals into the body. Research has demonstrated that even passive smokers (nonsmokers who breathe smokers' fumes) are exposed to these free radicals.

Nature has provided the body with natural protectors. These substances donate electrons to inactivate free radicals. In supplement form, these substances are commonly called antioxidants. The terms antioxidant and free radical scavenger are used synonymously. The best-known antioxidants are vitamins E and C and betacarotene.  A variety of other nutrients, such as the minerals copper, manganese, selenium and the amino acids cysteine and methionine, serve as necessary precursors of the body's own antioxidants, like superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Using supplements to increase the intake of antioxidant substances can build the body's defenses.

Proanthocyanidin is a substance that has been used by native North American people for centuries. In 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier was blocked by ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. His crew was forced to subsist on their rations of salted meat and biscuits. Eventually this diet, which was completely void of vegetables and. fruits, led to the onset of scurvy (acute vitamin C deficiency). Soon twenty-five of his 110­-man crew had died, and more than 50 others were seriously ill.  At this point Cartier met a Native American who taught him how to prepare tea from the needles and bark of certain pine trees. The tea was drunk and the solids applied as a poultice on swollen joints. This concoction was remarkably effective, and the remaining crew was saved.  Almost 400 years later, French pharmacists from the University of Bordeaux tried to determine why this tea was effective in the treatment of scurvy. It was found that the needles of the pines did contain vitamin C, but in very limited amounts. The bark was discovered to contain no vitamin C at all, which was puzzling.  Early investigation suggested that only the Canadian pines had the desired activity against scurvy. Later, researchers used the bark of trees in France and discovered that a tree in the vicinity of Bordeaux  -  Pinus pinaster, commonly known as the maritime pine - was remarkably effective in curing scurvy. An extract prepared from the bark of this tree revealed it to contain water-­soluble proanthocyanidins known to potentiate the effect of vitamin .C. This is the substance now available as proanthocyanidin.  In vitro testing shows proanthocyanidin to be 50 times more effective than vitamin E as an antioxidant and 20 times more effective than vitamin C.

Laboratory experiments have shown proanthocyanidin to have powerful free radical scavenging abilities. Both in-vitro and in-vivo tests have demonstrated these free radical scavenging effects. Pharmacological experiments with mice using radioactive labeled proanthocyanidin have demonstrated the uptake and distribution of this compound.  Proanthocyanidin is quickly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. This is believed to be due to its excellent water solubility. Additionally, experiments tracing radioactive proanthocyanidin show it is fixed rapidly to cell membranes in the vascular system and connective tissue (collagen) where it can exert its radical scavenging effects. Since it is an active transporter of vitamin C, it also carries this vitamin to its site of action. In humans, absorption of proanthocyanidin has been determined by detection of its metabolites in the urine.

Even when taken in high doses, Proanthocyanidin is an innocuous material. In experiments conducted at the International Bio-Research Inc. and at a Professor Steiner's Institute in Hanover, Germany, proanthocyanidin was administered orally and by intravenous administration to rats, mice and guinea pigs. "Results show that a real toxic effect could not be proved with proanthocyanidin in any of these tests…….."  Research conducted by J. Laperra at the International Bio-Research Institute tested the reproductive effects of Proanthocyanidin on mice, rabbits and rats by orally administering high doses. Results showed that the mother and embryo animals developed at normal rates with no birth defects.

While proanthocyanidin is known to be effective in treating disease, it is perhaps best used when taken daily to prevent the onset of free radical induced disorders. Many of today's physical maladies appear to stem directly from free radical damage. Diseases associated with aging, inflammation, improper function of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems all result from free radical damage in the body. An effective defense against these destructive compounds, besides trying to avoid them, is the daily supplementation of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, betacarotene and proanthocyanidin.   Proanthocyanidin is available in health food stores.

Health is not everything, but without spiritual and physical health, everything is nothing. Until next time we meet – may God Bless you with good health, with a little help from you!

The information in these columns is for educational purposes only and not to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Please consult your physician for any serious condition.

Len Rossi, ND has been a proponent of Natural Healing for 30 years. After a 25-year career as a pro wrestler, Len earned his Doctor Of Naturopathy degree in 1982 and is a Licensed Massage Therapist.