Pine bark extract may help kidneys

CHIETI, Italy, March 8 (UPI) -- Italian researchers say pine bark extract may help counteract kidney damage due to high blood pressure.

Researchers at G. D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy, say treatment with Pycnogenol -- an anti-oxidant plant extract of a French pine tree -- lowered urinary proteins from an average level of 89 milligrams per 24-hour period to 39 milligrams, much closer to the 30-milligram measure at which kidney function is considered sufficient.

"Kidney disease is a common problem for people with hypertension and is an equally 'silent' threat to the body. There are no warning signals and inefficient fluid removal may further increase the blood pressure, causing a vicious circle to set in," lead researcher Dr. Gianni Belcaro said in a statement. "The results of this study demonstrated Pycnogenol's ability not only to reduce blood pressure, but also to relieve the kidney damage caused by chronic hypertension."

Belcaro and colleagues gave 55 hypertensive patients with early signs of impaired kidney function anti-hypertensive medication Imperil but 29 patients also took Pycnogenol. Urine was collected at baseline and after six months of treatment.

When treated exclusively with Ramipril, systolic blood pressure values dropped by more than 30 percent and diastolic dropped 8 percent, but those taking Pycnogenol decreased both systolic and diastolic pressures by an additional 3 percent to 6 percent.

The study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.