OPC's Powerful Antioxidants

By Nancy J. Miller-Ihli, PhD

Savvy Selections

. http://www.savvyselections.com/

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OPC's Powerful Antioxidants

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) are natural plant compounds that have been linked to good health. OPCs are antioxidants which help protect your body from the harmful effects of free radicals which can result from a combination of daily challenges including pollution, exhaust fumes, stress, processed foods, tobacco smoke and poor nutrition. As an antioxidant, OPCs are 50 times more effective than vitamin E and 20 times more effective than vitamin C and they also extend the lifetime of both of those vitamins in your system.
Grape seed, pine bark, and red wine extracts are some of the most well known sources of OPCs. OPCs are so important to health that USDA published an online database of the proanthocyanidin content of selected foods (http //www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/PA/PA.pdf). Despite the high concentrations of OPCs in selected beans, berries and other fruits, many Americans do not get the 100-200 mg daily intake recommended by experts like Bagchi from food sources alone. OPCs have been used as a supplement in Europe and around the world since the early 1950s. There have been numerous literature reports highlighting the importance of these plant compounds for health promotion and disease prevention. Researchers have reported decreased risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke with the use of OPCs. Since OPCs reduce histamine production arteries are less prone to inflammation and disease. Reduced histamine production also means less inflammation reducing the impact of allergies, arthritis, asthma, and bronchitis. Other reported benefits from OPC supplementation include better focusing for individuals with ADD or ADHD, prevention of cataracts, inflammation relief from sports injuries, reduced cancer risk, reduced risk of viral infections, protection from urinary tract infections, decreased blood pressure, reduced wrinkles with aging and improved brain function. Interestingly, OPCs are one of the few antioxidants that pass the blood/brain barrier and many individuals have reported improved mental clarity and increased energy after taking OPCs.
The delivery system for nutritional supplements can be very important. When you ingest a tablet or capsule it must be “dissolved” in your stomach prior to release into your small intestine where nutrient absorption occurs. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours and dilution leads to incomplete absorption (25-50%). A very efficient means of introducing higher concentrations of nutrients into your system is to take them in an isotonic formulation. Powdered nutritional supplements are combined with a specified amount of water to make an isotonic solution which has the same fluid pressure as your body fluids. When you drink an isotonic solution on an empty stomach, a high concentration of nutrient is delivered to the small intestine in as little as 5-10 minutes leading to faster and more complete (90-95%) absorption. Isotonic formulations of OPCs and other nutritional supplements are available for health conscious consumers looking for a good value.