Can Dr Jack Masquelier's Real OPCs
If Authentic and From the Inventor Help?

How do I know its Authentic?
Each and every bottle comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and is signed by Dr Jack Masquelier.

What are OPCs ?

Acronym for Oligomeric ProanthoCyanidins.  OPCs were discovered by Professor Dr. Jack Masquelier, at the University of Bordeaux, France.  His patented formula (U.S. Patent No. 4,698,360) is a unique blend of pine bark and grape seed.

OPCs, in cooperation with Dr Masquelier, are extracted by Berkem Laboratories in Southern France and is the most knowledgeable and experienced company in the world that produces high-quality OPC extracts.

Proanthenols contain 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.

Real OPCs Make The Difference

It is important to understand the difference between  Real OPCs^TM 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.

French Explorer Jacques Cartier

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.

Antioxidants Protect Against Free Radical Attack

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.

Antioxidants Make the Difference

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

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^TM Base of concentrates from over 30 specially selected fruit, vegetable, and herbal concentrates to further enhance its benefits.

Supports Collagen

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.

Support Vision

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.

• Note:  When taking OPCs always take them away from protein as OPCs have a natural affinity for protein.   

Where can I find Dr Masquelier's Authentic French OPCs

Non-US visitors

References:
1. Rohdewald P. Pycnogenol In: Flavonoids in Health and Disease. Rice-Evans C and Packer L (ed.) Marcel Dekkar, Inc 1998; 406.
2. Laperra J, Michaud J. Masquelier J.: Etude Pharmacoccinetique des olitgomeres flavanoliques; Plates medicinales et phytotherapie, 1977, Tome XL.
3. Schwitters B, Masquelier J. OPC in Practice Alpha Omega Editrice, Rome, Italy, 1995.
4. Packer L, Rimbach G, Virgili F: Antioxidant activity and biologic properties of a procyanidin rich extract from pine (Pinus maritime) bark, pycnogenol. Free Rad Biol Med 1999 September.
5. Blazso G, Gabor M, Rohdewald P. Anti-inflammatory activities of procyanidins containing extracts from Pinus pinaster Ait. after oral and cutaneous application. Pharmazie, 1997.
6. Thebaut JF, Thebaut P, Vin F. Study of Endotelon in functional manifestations of peripheral venous insufficiency. Gazettte Medicale 1985.
7. Huynh HT, Teel RW:  Selective induction of apoptosis in human mammary cancer cells (MCF-7) by pycnogenol; Anticancer Res 2000 Jul-Aug.
8. Blazso G, Gaspar R, Gabor M, et al. ACE inhibition and hypotensive effect of a procyanidins containing extract from the bark of Pinus pinaster Sol. Pharm Pharmacol Lett 1996;6.