Chocolate.....to treat diabetes?

Mars Inc. will unveil research showing that cocoa compounds could help treat diabetes, strokes and vascular disease, according to the London, U.K.-based Financial Times.

The findings, to be presented at a conference in Switzerland, hold out the prospect of a major new class of medications, the paper said. Mars has discovered how to replicate the cocoa compounds or flavanols. It is in discussions with pharmaceutical companies about licensing production of synthesized flavanols.

“The mounting evidence in cocoa flavanols is extraordinary,” said Norm Hollenberg, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, which shared some of the research with Mars. “This is a scientific breakthrough that could well lead to a medical breakthrough.”

Editor’s Insight: Research has also indicated that flavanols also contain heart health enhancing properties, as reported on this site on 07-08-05.

http://www.amonline.com/article/article.jsp?id=14271&siteSection=1

You've made my day!

May they find the cure to this scourge!

makes Woody Allen look more like a visionary. We've flip-flopped our opinions on the health effects of carbohydrates vs meat, butter vs margarine, coffee vs decaf...

From Sleeper:

(the year is 2173)

Head Researcher: "Any special requests now he's awake?"
Assistant: "Yes, wheat germ and organic honey."
Head Researcher: "Those were the charmed substances that years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties".
Assistant: "What do you mean, no deep fat, no steak, no cream pies or hot fudge?"
Head researcher: "Those were thought to be unhealthy, precisely the opposite to what we now know to be true."

...

"But it's tobacco, one of the best things for your body!"

about everywhere.

1: Life Sci. 2004 Oct 8;75(21):2505-13. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Antidiabetic effect of Pycnogenol French maritime pine bark extract in patients with diabetes type II.

Liu X, Wei J, Tan F, Zhou S, Wurthwein G, Rohdewald P.

Guang An Men Hospital of Chinese Medical Science Research Institute, Beijing, PR China.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-center study was performed with 77 diabetes type II patients to investigate anti-diabetic effects of the French maritime pine bark extract, Pynogenol. Supplementation with 100 mg Pycnogenol for 12 weeks, during which a standard anti-diabetic treatment was continued, significantly lowered plasma glucose levels as compared to placebo. HbA1(c) was also lowered; however, the difference as compared to placebo was statistically significant only for the first month. In the Pycnogenol-group endothelin-1 was significantly decreased, while 6-ketoprostaglandin F(1a) in plasma was elevated compared to placebo. Nitric oxide levels in plasma increased during treatment in both groups, but, differences did not reach statistical significance. Pycnogenol was well-tolerated with ECG, electrolytes, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen remaining unchanged in both groups. Mild and transient unwanted effects were reported for both groups without significant differences. Supplementation of Pycnogenol to conventional diabetes treatment lowers glucose levels and improves endothelial function.

Publication Types:

* Clinical Trial
* Multicenter Study
* Randomized Controlled Trial


PMID: 15363656


1: Diabetes Care. 2004 Mar;27(3):839. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol dose-dependently lowers glucose in type 2 diabetic patients.

Liu X, Zhou HJ, Rohdewald P.

Publication Types:

* Clinical Trial
* Controlled Clinical Trial
* Letter


PMID: 14988316

1: Int Ophthalmol. 2001;24(3):161-71. Related Articles, Links

Pycnogenol for diabetic retinopathy. A review.

Schonlau F, Rohdewald P.

Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Westfalische Wilhelms Universitat Munster, Germany.

Diabetic retinopathy represents a serious health threat to a rapidly growing number of patients with diabetes mellitus. The retinal microangiopathy is characterised by vascular lesions with exudate deposits and haemorrhages causing vision loss. Pycnogenol, a standardised extract of the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), is known to increase capillary resistance. Pycnogenol has been tested for treatment and prevention of retinopathy in five clinical trials with a total number of 1289 patients since the late 1960's. All but one of these studies have been reported in French and German and, today, are of limited accessibility, giving the impetus for reviewing them in detail in this article. There were two open case studies and two double blind studies (one controlled against calcium dobesilate and another against placebo) and, finally, one multi-center field study with 1169 diabetics. All of these studies unequivocally showed that Pycnogenol retains progression of retinopathy and partly recovers visual acuity. Treatment efficacy of Pycnogenol was at least as good as that of calcium dobesilate. Pycnogenol was shown to improve capillary resistance and reduce leakages into the retina. Tolerance was generally very good and side effects were rare, mostly referring to gastric discomfort. In conclusion, treatment with Pycnogenol had a favourable outcome in the majority of the patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Publication Types:

* Meta-Analysis


PMID: 12498513

1: Phytother Res. 2001 May;15(3):219-23. Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Treatment of vascular retinopathies with Pycnogenol.

Spadea L, Balestrazzi E.

Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche, Cattedra di Clinica Oculistica, Facolta di Medicina e Chirurgia, Via Vetoio, Coppito 2, L'Aquila, Italy.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of Pycnogenol on the progression of diabetic retinopathy and other vascular retinal disorders. The study consisted of a double-blind phase in which 20 patients were recruited and randomly treated with placebo or Pycnogenol (50 mg x 3/day for 2 months) and an open phase in which another 20 patients were treated with Pycnogenol at the same dose schedule. In total, 40 patients with diabetes, atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases involving the retina were enrolled; 30 of them were treated with Pycnogenol and 10 with placebo. The results demonstrated a beneficial effect of Pycnogenol on the progression of retinopathy. Without any treatment (placebo) the retinopathy progressively worsened during the trial and the visual acuity significantly decreased; on the contrary, the Pycnogenol-treated patients showed no deterioration of retinal function and a significant recovery of visual acuity was also obtained. The fluorangiography showed an improvement of retinal vascularization and a reduced endothelial permeability and leakage in the Pycnogenol, but not in the placebo-treated, patients. The ophthalmoscopy and the electroretinogram (ERG) also confirmed the beneficial effects of Pycnogenol. The mechanism of action of Pycnogenol may be related to its free radical (FR) scavenging, anti-inflammatory and capillary protective activities. It has been suggested that Pycnogenol may bind to the blood vessel wall proteins and mucopolysaccharides and produce a capillary 'sealing' effect, leading to a reduced capillary permeability and oedema formation. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Publication Types:

* Clinical Trial
* Randomized Controlled Trial

Eat them RAW.

mmmm chocolate.

I wonder if he can get some stock options as part of a retirement package. :)

women do live longer.