Smoking and Supplements

[HysteryDiagnosis]

Pycnogenol seems to be a winner here....

: Toxicol Ind Health. 2002 Jun;18(5):215-24. Related Articles, Links

Pycnogenol in cigarette filters scavenges free radicals and reduces mutagenicity and toxicity of tobacco smoke in vivo.

Zhang D, Tao Y, Gao J, Zhang C, Wan S, Chen Y, Huang X, Sun X, Duan S, Schonlau F, Rohdewald P, Zhao B.

Institute of Biophysics, Academia Sinica, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China.

Despite large-scale anti-smoking campaigns throughout the world, the number of smokers remains high and cigarette smoking continues to represent a life-threatening health risk. Until a smoke-free society is achieved, reduction of cigarette smoke toxins may reduce the health burden. Current cigarette filter techniques are limited to the reduction of volatile tar constituents by dilution and by condensation on the filter surface. Vast quantities of harmful constituents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic (aromatic) amines, free radicals and reactive oxygen species, are inefficiently retained in the filter. We investigated whether neutralisation of free radicals in cigarette filters is feasible and accompanied by a reduction in smoke toxicity. Addition of the bioflavonoid pine bark extract Pycnogenol to cigarette filters depleted free radicals in a dose dependent manner. This was paralleled by a reduction of toxicity and mutagenicity in rodent test models. In this model system, the acute toxicity of cigarette smoke was markedly reduced by up to 70% in rodents with 0.4 mg Pycnogenol in filters. Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke for 75 days revealed that Pycnogenol filters significantly reduced mutagenicity by up to 48% and decreased pathological changes in lung tissue.

PMID: 14653310
WWW.PYCNOGENOL.COM

[Ian David]

1. I'm all in favor of adding Beta-Carotine to cigarettes. n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Theoretically, that could be a mistake.... or not if you believe

the following:

http://nutrition.tufts.edu/magazine/2000spring/wang.html
Wang’s research team had looked for several biomarkers that are known to be precursors of lung cancer. All three ferret groups—-those subjected to just smoke, just beta-carotene and a combination of both—showed a significant increase in these markers over the control group. The most significant increase was in the ferrets exposed to both smoke and beta-carotene.

“Beta-carotene, especially without other antioxidants (Vitamins C and E), is not a stable substance in the lungs of smokers,” Wang said. “In these conditions, high-dose beta-carotene is rapidly oxidized, producing by-products that may lead to changes in genes and cell structure that could eventually develop into cancer. Smoking may intensify this process.” Wang emphasizes that beta-carotene is not a carcinogen.

http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=5839&query=betacarotene&hiword=BETACAROTENES%20BETACAROTENT%20betacarotene%20
First of all, few consumers take beta-carotene by itself. Beta-carotene is thought to synergistically work with other antioxidants to protect against the free radical damage that can lead to chronic disease. In fact, beta-carotene is one of 60 to 90 different nutrients that health conscious people take to protect against disease. In studies where beta-carotene supplements are combined with other nutrients, the findings are quite different than the three negative studies the authors pointed to.

For instance, in a trial involving 30,000 people, the combination of selenium, higher-dose vitamin E and beta-carotene produced a 13% reduction in overall cancer deaths. Among these receiving this combination of supplements, the risk of dying from lung cancer was reduced by 45%, but the number of people actually getting lung cancer was small and considered to be limited from a statistical standpoint. The significance, however, is that when combinations of higher dose antioxidants are used, better clinical results often manifest. A number of published studies, for instance, show that when beta-carotene is combined with other antioxidants, reductions in indicators of oxidative stress occur, whereas beta-carotene by itself sometimes fails to protect against free radical-induced oxidative stress. Some of these studies involve smokers as well as nonsmokers.

[Kailassa]

7. That's interesting, thanks.

It also applies to pharmaceutical products derived from natural ingredients, such as the drugs being derived from marijuana. Often the natural source has a number of things which work together to lessen the side effects and strengthen the useful effects of the active ingredients.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Synergy, the working together of different components... of course

the pharmaceutical goons know this and use it to their advantage to disprove things that have already been shown to be true.

[Ian David]

10. As long as beta-carotine doesn't show-up in second-hand smoke

adding it to cigarette filters would be a good idea.

It would reduce death from second-hand smoke and save us money on healthcare by getting smokers out of the medical system years early.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

12. Actually, it's pycnogenol that was added to the filters... and it is

a derivative of a particular pine tree bark that grows on the coast of France. If you saw the movie The Spitfire Grille, the reason why the scientist was rabidly driving up and down the road, taking bites out of tree bark was because these also were trees that produce this amazing bioflavonoid.

[RedOnce]

3. Very interesting idea!

[beam me up scottie]

4. What the hell-let's put anti-depressants and blood pressure meds in there!

The possibilities are endless.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Anti-depressants and Blood pressure meds.....

Depression: Omega Threes, Sam-E, 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan, etc.

Blood Pressure: Omega Threes, L-Arginine, Hawthorn Berry, Coenzyme Q10, etc.

[beam me up scottie]

6. Don't start.

:D

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Did start and they work just fine. n/t

[Warpy]

11. Nothing makes tobacco safe in any form

because of the physiological effect nicotine has on blood vessels. Cancer is the easy, quick way out. Most smokers end up with COPD and/or heart failure and that is a miserable way to die. Add to that the research linking smoking with everything from osteoporosis to blindness from macular degeneration and you begin to wonder why anybody out of his immortal teen years would continue the addiction.

Anything that puts a bandaid on this fact does a disservice to people who smoke, giving them a false sense of security.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. I'm pretty sure the point of the study was to show that ingesting

pycnogenol, ORALLY, can and does protect the body from many many environmental stressors that we should not have to deal with in the first place. Now you say that if that is what they wanted to do then they should have given them the stuff orally. To that I say, I take it every day and I don't smoke.

www.Pycnogenol.com

6: Schafer A, Chovanova Z, Muchova J, Sumegova K, Liptakova A, Durackova Z, Hogger P. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 activity by plasma of human volunteers after ingestion of French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol).
Biomed Pharmacother. 2006 Jan;60(1):5-9. Epub 2005 Oct 26.
PMID: 16330178

7: Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Errichi BM, Ledda A, Di Renzo A, Stuard S, Dugall M, Pellegrini L, Rohdewald P, Ippolito E, Ricci A, Cacchio M, Ruffini I, Fano F, Hosoi M. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Venous ulcers: microcirculatory improvement and faster healing with local use of Pycnogenol.
Angiology. 2005 Nov-Dec;56(6):699-705.
PMID: 16327946

1: Kohama T, Inoue M. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Pycnogenol((R)) alleviates pain associated with pregnancy.
Phytother Res. 2006 Mar 6;20(3):232-234
PMID: 16521117

2: Kamuren ZT, McPeek CG, Sanders RA, Watkins JB. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Effects of low-carbohydrate diet and pycnogenol((r)) treatment on retinal antioxidant enzymes in normal and diabetic rats.
J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Feb;22(1):10-8.
PMID: 16503770

3: Mojzisova G, Mirossay L, Kucerova D, Kyselovic J, Mirossay A, Mojzis J. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Protective effect of selected flavonoids on in vitro daunorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Phytother Res. 2006 Feb;20(2):110-4.
PMID: 16444662

12: Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Rohdewald P, Pellegrini L, Ippolito E, Scoccianti M, Ricci A, Dugall M, Cacchio M, Ruffini I, Fano F, Acerbi G, Vinciguerra MG, Bavera P, Di Renzo A, Errichi BM, Mucci F. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Prevention of edema in long flights with Pycnogenol.
Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2005 Jul;11(3):289-94.
PMID: 16015414

13: Rohdewald P. Related Articles, Links
No abstract Pycnogenol protects DNA against oxidative damage in vivo.
Phytother Res. 2005 Mar;19(3):262. No abstract available.
PMID: 15934018

14: Huang WW, Yang JS, Lin CF, Ho WJ, Lee MR. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Pycnogenol induces differentiation and apoptosis in human promyeloid leukemia HL-60 cells.
Leuk Res. 2005 Jun;29(6):685-92. Epub 2005 Jan 19.
PMID: 15863210
18: Mochizuki M, Hasegawa N. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Therapeutic efficacy of pycnogenol in experimental inflammatory bowel diseases.
Phytother Res. 2004 Dec;18(12):1027-8.
PMID: 15742344

19: Dene BA, Maritim AC, Sanders RA, Watkins JB 3rd. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Effects of antioxidant treatment on normal and diabetic rat retinal enzyme activities.
J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Feb;21(1):28-35.
PMID: 15718825

20: Berryman AM, Maritim AC, Sanders RA, Watkins JB 3rd. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Influence of treatment of diabetic rats with combinations of pycnogenol, beta-carotene, and alpha-lipoic acid on parameters of oxidative stress.
J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2004;18(6):345-52.
PMID: 15674846

9: Baumann L. Related Articles, Links
No abstract How to prevent photoaging?
J Invest Dermatol. 2005 Oct;125(4):xii-xiii. No abstract available.
PMID: 16185258

10: Torras MA, Faura CA, Schonlau F, Rohdewald P. Related Articles, Links
Abstract Antimicrobial activity of Pycnogenol.
Phytother Res. 2005 Jul;19(7):647-8.
PMID: 16161029