--- title: "No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease r | Sutter Health" description: "This study looks potential cardiovascular benefits of pine bark extract, a dietary supplement source of antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease r # No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease risk factors Drieling RL, Gardner CD, Ma J, Ahn DK, & Stafford RS. _Arch Intern Med. 170(17):1541-7. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.310._ 2010-09-27 ## Abstract ### BACKGROUND: Although modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors are common, some patients eschew conventional drug treatments in favor of natural alternatives. Pine bark extract , a dietary supplement source of antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, has multiple putative cardiovascular benefits. Studies published to date about the supplement have notable methodological limitations. #### METHODS: We randomized 130 individuals with increased cardiovascular disease risk to take 200 mg of a water-based extract of pine bark (n = 64; Toyo-FVG, Toyo Bio-Pharma, Torrance, California; Shinyaku Co, Ltd, Saga, Japan; also marketed as Flavagenol in Japan) or placebo (n = 66) once per day. Blood pressure, our primary outcome, and other cardiovascular disease risk factors were measured at baseline and at 6 and 12 weeks. Statistical analyses were conducted using regression models. #### RESULTS: Baseline characteristics did not differ between the study groups. Over the 12-week intervention, the sum of systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased by 1.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -4.2 to 2.1 mm Hg) in the pine bark extract -treated group and by 1.9 mm Hg (-5.5 to 1.7 mm Hg) in the placebo group (P = .87). Other outcomes were likewise not significantly different, including body mass index, lipid panel measures, liver transaminase test results, lipoprotein cholesterol particle size, and levels of insulin, lipoprotein(a), fasting glucose, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. There were no subgroups for whom intake of pine bark extract affected cardiovascular disease risk factors . #### CONCLUSIONS: This pine bark extract (at a dosage of 200 mg/d) was safe but was not associated with improvement in cardiovascular disease risk factors . Although variations among participants, dosages, and chemical preparations could contribute to different findings compared with past studies, our results are consistent with a general failure of antioxidants to demonstrate cardiovascular benefits. [PubMed abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=No+beneficial+effects+of+pine+bark+extract+on+cardiovascula) ## Research topics - [Cardiovascular Diseases](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Cardiovascular+Diseases%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [Home blood pressure monitoring among adults—American Heart Association Cardiovascular Health Consumer Survey, 2012](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/home-blood-pressure-monitoring-among-adults-1055312805) The Journal of Clinical Hypertension 2017 Jun 19 - Publication ### [Self-gated fat-suppressed cardiac cine MRI.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/self-gated-fat-suppressed-cardiac-cine-mri-1055312491) Ingle RR, Santos JM, Overall WR, McConnell MV, Hu BS, Nishimura DG. Magn Reson Med. 73(5):1764-74. doi: 10.1002/mrm.25291. 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NPJ Digit Med. 3:125. doi: 10.1038/s41746-020-00331-1. eCollection 2020. 2020 Sep 23 - Publication ### [Antiplatelet therapy use after discharge among acute myocardial infarction patients with in-hospital bleeding.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/antiplatelet-tx-post-discharge-ami-pts-1055312976) Wang TY, Xiao L, Alexander KP, Rao SV, Kosiborod MN, Rumsfeld JS, Spertus JA, Peterson ED. Circulation. 118(21):2139-45. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.787143. Epub 2008 Nov 3. 2008 Nov 18 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease r"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease risk factors","headline":"No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease r","abstract":"BACKGROUND: Although modifiable cardiovasculardiseaseriskfactors are common, some patients eschew conventional drug treatments in favor of natural alternatives. Pinebarkextract, a dietary supplement source of antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, has multiple putative cardiovascular benefits. Studies published to date about the supplement have notable methodological limitations. METHODS: We randomized 130 individuals with increased cardiovasculardiseaserisk to take 200 mg of a water-based extract of pinebark (n = 64; Toyo-FVG, Toyo Bio-Pharma, Torrance, California; Shinyaku Co, Ltd, Saga, Japan; also marketed as Flavagenol in Japan) or placebo (n = 66) once per day. Blood pressure, our primary outcome, and other cardiovasculardiseaseriskfactors were measured at baseline and at 6 and 12 weeks. Statistical analyses were conducted using regression models. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics did not differ between the study groups. Over the 12-week intervention, the sum of systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased by 1.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -4.2 to 2.1 mm Hg) in the pinebarkextract-treated group and by 1.9 mm Hg (-5.5 to 1.7 mm Hg) in the placebo group (P = .87). Other outcomes were likewise not significantly different, including body mass index, lipid panel measures, liver transaminase test results, lipoprotein cholesterol particle size, and levels of insulin, lipoprotein(a), fasting glucose, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. There were no subgroups for whom intake of pinebarkextract affected cardiovasculardiseaseriskfactors. CONCLUSIONS: This pinebarkextract (at a dosage of 200 mg/d) was safe but was not associated with improvement in cardiovasculardiseaseriskfactors. Although variations among participants, dosages, and chemical preparations could contribute to different findings compared with past studies, our results are consistent with a general failure of antioxidants to demonstrate cardiovascular benefits.","description":"This study looks potential cardiovascular benefits of pine bark extract, a dietary supplement source of antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes.","keywords":["Cardiovascular Diseases"],"datePublished":"2010-09-27","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556","inLanguage":"en-US","identifier":[{"@type":"PropertyValue","propertyID":"DOI","value":"10.1001/archinternmed.2010.310"}],"sameAs":["https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2010.310"],"isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"Arch Intern Med"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Drieling RL"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Gardner CD"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Ma J"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Ahn DK"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Stafford RS"}],"sourceOrganization":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute"},"about":[{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Cardiovascular Diseases","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Cardiovascular+Diseases%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pine-bark-extract-on-cardiovascular-disease-1055312556#breadcrumblist"}}} ```