Pine-bark extract has no effect on blood pressure, study finds

A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that pine-bark extract had no effect in lowering blood pressure or reducing other risk factors for heart disease.

Senior author Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, said the findings are part of a growing body of evidence that antioxidant supplements don't improve heart function.

The participants were randomly assigned to take either a Japanese-produced pine-bark extract or a placebo. The extract dosage was 200 mg per day, which researchers said was in the middle range of dosages used in previous studies.

Researchers found that the participants' blood pressure levels - as well as other risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol, blood glucose, body weight and C-reactive protein levels - remained virtually the same in both groups throughout the study.

For more information:

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2010/september/pine-bark.html