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Why do we need antioxidants?
Cigarette smoke, air pollution, alcohol, drugs, radiation from
televisions and computers, chemicals and a busy life generate free
radicals, which cause “oxidative stress”.
Free radicals attack all your vital cellular structures, such as
cell membranes and stimulate processes that have been linked to accelerated
cellular aging. An antioxidant's job is to neutralize the free radical
cells thus protecting the cells in our body from accelerated aging.
By neutralizing the free radicals, these once free radical cells
are able to assist with nutritional distribution, proper circulation
and overall better health.
Proanthenols contains real antioxidant
protection based upon 50 years of research by Dr. Jack Masquelier
and Berkem Laboratories in Southern France. The main ingredient,
Real OPCs, extracted from grape seeds and pine bark, provides superior
antioxidant protection that is 50 times more powerful than vitamin
E and 20 times more powerful than vitamin C. And, Proanthenols helps
all other antioxidants (including vitamins C and E) work better!
Real OPCs protect your cells against free radical attack and support
the collagen structure of all the organs in your body. Proanthenols
is definitely one of our most significant products.
Cigarette smoke, air pollution, alcohol, drugs, radiation, and chemicals —what do all these have in common? They generate free radicals, which cause “oxidative stress”. Free radicals attack many of your vital cellular components, including cellular membranes and DNA. They also stimulate processes that have been linked to accelerated cellular aging.
Proanthenols contains the exclusive Real OPCs extracted by Berkem Laboratories from both grape seeds and pine bark as based on research by Dr. Jack Masquelier, Professor from the University of Bordeaux in Southern France. He discovered this class of nutrients, which are known collectively as Oligomeric ProanthoCyanidins, in the late 1940’s. Continued research since then has resulted in this wonderful natural extract. The Real OPCs in Proanthenols is 100% bioavailable and 100% residue-free.
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It is important to understand
the difference between Real OPCs™ and ordinary grape seed extracts,
which are often nothing more than ground-up or slightly extracted
grape seeds. Independent laboratory tests have shown the Real
OPCs extract in Proanthenols to be more reliable at neutralizing
free radicals than other grape seed extracts. OPCs are classed
with the broad group of naturally occurring antioxidant substances
found in plants known as polyphenolic flavonoids. Dr. Masquelier
has shown that OPCs are present in literally hundreds of plants.
However, two of the best sources are grape seeds and pine bark,
from which OPCs are extracted. |
Berkem Laboratories in Southern France is
the most knowledgeable and experienced company in the world that
produces high-quality OPC extracts. Berkem worked closely with
Dr. Jack Masquelier for many years, perfecting the commercial extraction
technique based on his scientific protocols over several decades.
The resultant product contains the purest, most consistently reliable
OPC available–the standard against which all others are compared.
Unfortunately, the terms “grape seed extract” and “pine bark extract” have
generally been used by companies to make their products more marketable.
One thing is certain, generic grape seed or pine bark extracts
are not comparable to high-quality Real OPCs; these generic extracts
are worlds apart from the composition of Real OPCs, and so are
their health-supporting benefits.
From a historical viewpoint, it is interesting
to study the documents of Jacques Cartier, a French explorer whose
crew were dying of scurvy in the winter of 1534-1535. Scurvy, a deficiency
of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), occurs after several months without
fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet. The dying men drank a tea
made from the needles and bark of pine trees and used the solid residue
as a poultice placed over swollen joints. Incredibly the men who
had been dying a short time before were led to complete recovery
within a week of this incredible find.
Research by Dr. Masquelier and colleagues have shown that Real OPCs
make vitamin C more effective, and can even substitute for its functions.
The Real OPCs contained in Proanthenols provide 50 times the antioxidant
protection of vitamin E and 20 times that of vitamin C.
Vascular health has been shown to be supported by supplementation with OPCs. Actually, OPCs are unique among antioxidants, due to their complex mixture of different sized molecules (oligomers). This complex mixture enables them to function as an antioxidant network in-and-of themselves; they also protect other important antioxidant reserves in the body, such as glutathione and vitamin E.
Life Plus combines Real OPCs with a proprietary blend of bioflavonoids including citrus flavonoids, hesperidin, rutin, quercetin, and even vitamin C. Of course, we’ve included our exclusive PhytoZyme™ Base of concentrates from over 30 specially selected fruit, vegetable, and herbal concentrates to further enhance its benefits.
In
addition to antioxidant protection, Real OPCs also support collagen
and help maintain elastin throughout your whole body. These two critical
proteins are major components of all your connective tissues and
organs. They are responsible for maintaining structural integrity
as well as the elasticity of all the tissues throughout your body.
This includes your joints, blood vessels, skin, ligaments, tendons,
muscles, and even your heart. By maintaining healthy levels of structural
collagen and elastin, your body is able to continue to function more
efficiently and maintain its youthful strength and flexibility longer.
The OPCs in Proanthenols actually attach to “reactive sites” on collagen
molecules and protect them from free radical attack. This is one
of the reasons they are so protective and so valuable for your circulatory
system.
Double
blind studies have shown that OPCs actually strengthen capillaries
(the tiniest of all blood vessels) while using as little as 100 mg
per day.
A clinical study has also demonstrated that OPCs
help to maintain and support visual performance in the dark and after
exposure to glare in healthy people with normal vision. Research
at Loma Linda University, which showed protective effects of OPCs
on blood vessels in various experimental models, has also suggested
that OPCs may play a role in helping to maintain healthy mental function
as people age.
When you purchase Life Plus Proanthenols, you can
rely on getting only the best Real OPCs that have been extracted
by methods pioneered and developed by Dr. Masquelier, then refined
and implemented by Berkem Laboratories.
Proanthenols are at the
heart of the Life Plus Difference! †
Please read our frequently
asked questions about
OPCs.
References:
1. Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Stohs SJ, et. al. Free radicals and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract: importance in human health and disease prevention. Toxicology 2000 Aug 7;148(2-3):187-972.
Laperra J, Michaud J. Masquelier J.: Etude Pharmacoccinetique des olitgomeres flavanoliques; Plates medicinales et phytotherapie, 1977, Tome XL.
2. Schwitters B, Masquelier J. OPC in Practice Alpha Omega Editrice, Rome, Italy, 1995.
3. Costantini A, De Bernardi T, Gotti A. [Clinical and capillaroscopic evaluation of chronic uncomplicated venous insufficiency with procyanidins extracted from vitis vinifera] [Article in Italian]
Minerva Cardioangiol 1999 Jan-Feb;47(1-2):39-46
4. Thebaut JF, Thebaut P, Vin F. Study of Endotelon in functional manifestations of peripheral venous insufficiency. Gazettte Medicale 1985.
5. Koga T, Moro K, Nakamori K, et al. Increase of antioxidative potential of rat plasma by oral administration of proanthocyanidin-rich extract from grape seeds. J Agric Food Chem 1999
May;47(5):1892-7.
DIRECTIONS: One tablet twice a day.
More may be taken if desired.
Contains CytoFlav-C™, a secret blend of Bioflavonoids and Vitamin C, in the proprietary PhytoZyme™ base of phytonutrients and plant enzymes.
Life Plus' "Real OPC™" is
a pharmaceutical-grade, 100% bioavailable, residue free grape seed and pine bark
extract that is manufactured and supplied by Berkem Laboratories in France and
developed in cooperation with Dr. Jack Masquelier at the University of Bordeaux.
Protected under US Patent 4,698,360.
Contains no artificial preservatives, sugar,
starch, caffeine, salt, wheat, gluten, yeast, corn, milk, egg,
shellfish, soya derivatives, artificial sweetening, flavoring or
coloring agents.
Contains no ingredients from animal sources. Not tested on animals.
Click
Here For Ingredients & Label Information
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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