Procyanidins mainly exist in grape seeds, seabuckthorn, roses and other plants, and are an antioxidant; Anthocyanin mainly exists in blueberry and purple sweet potato, and its main function is to relieve eye fatigue, and its ability of scavenging free radicals and antioxidation is far less than that of proanthocyanidins. They are different substances, but proanthocyanidins can be converted into anthocyanins in plants, so they are called proanthocyanidins.
Procyanidins are not the strongest antioxidants. Lycopene and astaxanthin have strong ability to scavenge free radicals, but because they are fat-soluble substances, most of them are water after being absorbed by the human body and cannot be dissolved in body fluids, so they cannot be absorbed and utilized by many parts of the human body. Proanthocyanidins are easily soluble in water and most organic solvents, well absorbed by human body, and the overall absorption rate is far ahead, so they are widely used.
Antioxidant is antioxidant free radical, and oxidative free radical is a kind of free radical, so the role of proanthocyanidins comes down to the problem of free radical.
Free radicals in life are innate. Since vitality has lasted for 3.5 billion years, it shows that life itself has the ability to balance free radicals, or to eliminate excess free radicals. However, with the rapid development of human civilization, the extensive use of chemicals, the increase of automobile exhaust and industrial production waste gas, and nuclear explosion, all these activities will lead to the generation of free radicals.
1. Smoking (secondhand smoke) and alcoholism (each cigarette will produce10000000000000000000 free radicals).
2. Radiation, ultraviolet rays, electromagnetic waves, sunlight or radiotherapy for cancer patients.
3. Environmental pollution, including air pollution, drinking water pollution, industrial wastewater pollution, soil pollution, etc.
4 chemical drug abuse, such as the abuse of food additives, pesticides, fruit and vegetable pollution, drugs, therapeutic drugs, etc. (especially an untested prescription).
5. Mental state and emotional problems, such as stress, impatience, anxiety, depression and tension, can also produce free radicals.
6. Modern urbanites are under great pressure, living in a poor environment, full of all kinds of pollution, and their bodies are flooded with free radicals. If they are not controlled, they may be mercilessly attacked by billions of free radicals every day.
(1) weakens the resistance of cells and makes the body vulnerable to infection by bacteria and germs;
(2) produce chemicals that destroy cells and form carcinogens;
(3) It hinders the normal development of cells, interferes with their recovery function, and makes the cell renewal rate lower than the withering rate;
(4) Destroy the tissue of genetic gene (DNA) in vivo, disturb the function of cell operation and regeneration, cause gene mutation and evolve into cancer;
(5) Destroying mitochondria (energy storage bodies) in cells, causing oxidative fatigue;
(6) destroying the cell membrane, interfering with the metabolism of cells, and making the cell membrane lose its function of protecting cells;
(7) Amino acids and hormones necessary to invade cells interfere with the operation of the system in vivo, leading to a vicious circle and producing more free radicals, whose chain reaction can lead to free radicals endangering the whole body;
(8) Destroying protein, destroying enzymes in the body, leading to inflammation and aging;
(9) Destruction of fat, lipid peroxidation, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
(10) destroys carbohydrates and degrades hyaluronic acid, leading to arthritis.
Therefore, eliminating excess free radicals in the body has become a magic weapon to maintain health, and proanthocyanidins' super antioxidant and free radical scavenging ability has played a great role. Seabuckthorn is rich in procyanidins. Whether it is health care or body conditioning, choosing seabuckthorn products is a more suitable choice.
In Europe, procyanidins have been used in clinical treatment for decades to improve blood circulation, treat diabetic retinopathy, relieve edema and inhibit varicose veins. Procyanidins can strengthen capillaries, arteries and veins; Remove water-soluble and fat-soluble free radicals from cell membrane, thus inhibiting the process of releasing some enzymes to damage capillary wall.
Diabetic retinopathy is a symptom of diabetes mellitus, which is caused by micro-bleeding of ocular capillaries and is a common cause of blindness in adults. France has allowed procyanidins to treat this disease for many years. This method significantly reduces the capillary bleeding of eyes and improves vision. Procyanidins are also used to prevent complications after cataract surgery in diabetic patients. During the period of 1998, experts chose many people without eye diseases and eye injuries to do experiments to see if proanthocyanidins can alleviate night blindness. Participants were divided into two groups, one was a driver who drove at night, and the other was a person who spent all day with the computer screen. After four weeks, their blindness tolerance was checked again, and 98% of the subjects improved.
Edema is caused by the infiltration of water and electrolytes in the blood into human tissues, usually swelling of the injured part. Healthy people will get edema after sitting for too long, women will get edema before menstruation, sports injuries often cause edema, some may get edema after surgery, and some diseases will also cause edema. Studies have shown that taking anthocyanins once a day can obviously relieve edema.
Europeans call procyanidins youth nutrition, skin vitamins and oral cosmetics. Because it can restore the vitality of collagen and make the skin smooth and elastic. Collagen is the basic component of the skin. It is a gelatinous substance that makes our body a whole. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for biochemical synthesis of collagen. Procyanidins make more vitamin C effective, which means that vitamin C can perform all its functions (including collagen production) more easily. Procyanidins attached to collagen can prevent the damage of enzymes that destroy collagen; It can also protect human body from sun damage and promote the cure of tinea bovis and longevity spots; It is also an excellent additive for external skin cream.
Cholesterol is the basic component of cell membrane, which plays a key role in producing hormones and promoting fatty acid transport. However, too much cholesterol is a potentially bad omen. The combination of proanthocyanidins and vitamin C can decompose cholesterol into bile salts and eliminate them from the body. Procyanidins accelerate the decomposition and elimination of harmful cholesterol. Here, the synergistic relationship between vitamin C and anthocyanins has been confirmed again.
Procyanidins can help joints, arteries and other tissues (such as the heart) maintain normal function. The vascular system is responsible for blood flow, delivering blood to all cells and tissues, inhibiting histamine production, reducing inflammation, and helping arteries resist the influence of mutagenic factors leading to cardiovascular diseases.
Although French people usually eat more high-fat foods than Americans, the proportion of French people who die of heart disease is much less than that of Americans. French people are famous for their love of drinking, and they usually drink when eating. The number of French drinkers suffering from coronary heart disease is also 30% to 40% lower than that of non-drinkers, because French red wine contains proanthocyanidins.
Procyanidins not only help to relieve cardiovascular inflammation, but also help to treat many diseases, such as allergies, asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, rheumatoid arteritis, sports injuries, pressure ulcers and so on. When the human body is inflamed, it releases a compound called histamine, which can induce various symptoms of the above diseases. Anthocyanins inhibit the enzymes needed to produce histamine and prevent the production of histamine, thus reducing inflammation. Proanthocyanidins are famous histamine inhibitors, but they do not hinder other enzymes. Our bodies suffer from too many chemicals and pollutants from food, drinking water, air, animals and plants (such as pollen). Therefore, allergy has become a very common disease. Many documents have recorded the anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory abilities of proanthocyanidins. Athletes appreciate anthocyanin because it can make joints flexible, repair collagen in connective tissue and reduce edema. It is reported that proanthocyanidins can improve arthritis in many people.
1. Protect human blood circulation system through three ways: eliminating oxygen free radicals in blood; Help the body prevent the production of oxygen free radicals; Enhance the integrity of blood vessel wall.
2. Inhibiting the degradation of connective tissue by collagenase and elastase is beneficial to maintaining the elasticity of skin and exerting the anti-aging effect of skin.
3. It can enhance the microcirculation of retinal capillaries in fundus and peripheral capillaries in limbs.
4. By maintaining the health of blood vessels and improving microcirculation, various organs and tissues can get sufficient blood supply.
5. It can enhance the immune function, indicating that proanthocyanidins can improve the immune response of IL -2 in mice fed with alcohol and infected with retrovirus.
6. Procyanidins can also enhance the efficacy of vitamin C and prolong the time when vitamin C takes effect in the human body.
7. Proanthocyanidins have very good solubility in water, are well absorbed after oral administration, and take effect quickly and last for a long time after entering human body.
8. As a health food, safety is very important. The results of various animal experiments and experimental systems prove that proanthocyanidins are non-toxic, non-mutagenic, non-carcinogenic, non-teratogenic and non-allergenic, so proanthocyanidins are safe.
Over the years, Professor Masquelier and many scientists have conducted various clinical, laboratory, toxicity and pharmacokinetics studies on proanthocyanidins.
A large number of experiments have proved that proanthocyanidins are non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-antigenic and non-fetal. Professor Masquerel pointed out that he has used proanthocyanidins to treat and prevent diseases for more than 40 years and has never seen direct or indirect toxicity.