2007年8月28日
碧萝芷®可以减轻更年期综合征症状
Pycnogenol® Reduces Perimenopausal Symptoms

        碧萝芷®可以减少对荷尔蒙治疗的需求
        Pycnogenol® may reduce need for hormone therapy

        即将在《北欧妇产科杂志》上刊登的一篇实验论文报道了碧萝芷®，法国沿海松树皮提取物，可以减轻“更年期综合症症状”，如：潮热、消沉、疼痛、胆固醇以及其他向绝经期过渡过程中女性常见症状。结果表明，碧萝芷®可以用于替代雌激素治疗，雌激素是治疗更年期综合症的常用药物。
        A study to be published in an upcoming edition of the Scandinavian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reveals that Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, reduces “climacteric symptoms” such as hot flashes, depression, panic attacks, cholesterol and other common symptoms associated with women entering menopause transition. The results suggest Pycnogenol® may serve as an alternative treatment to estrogen replacement therapy, which is the most common remedy of pre-menopause (“perimenopausal”) symptoms.

        根据美国卫生署和人类服务部的资料，更年期综合症是女性随着年龄的增长，在生育末期出现的正常生理现象。这表明，女性的身体将会进入绝经期，而这一过程将会持续2-8年。
        According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, perimenopause is the natural part of aging that signals the ending of a woman’s reproductive years. It marks the time when a woman’s body begins its move into menopause and can last anywhere from two to eight years.

        “实验选择碧萝芷®，因为之前有实验表明碧萝芷®可以有效改善认知能力、皮肤弹性、一氧化氮合成、自由基的清除以及人体抗氧化能力的提升，”彼得罗德沃尔德博士说，罗德沃尔德博士就职于德国明斯特大学药物化学学院，是此次实验的主要主要负责人，“上述保健功效是能够自然消除更年期综合症症状的关键因素。”
        “Pycnogenol® was chosen for this study due to previous research revealing health benefits associated with cognitive function, skin elasticity, nitric oxide stimulation, free radical scavenging and the broadening of antioxidant activity,” said Dr. Peter Rohdewald, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Germany’s University of Munster and a lead researcher of this study. “Achieving these health benefits is key to treating perimenopausal symptoms naturally.”

        这项随机的、双盲的、用安慰剂组对比的实验在台湾汉铭医院展开，有155名台湾女性参加了实验。病人每日服用200毫克碧萝芷®或者安慰剂，并且通过填写女性健康问卷（WHQ）记录症状强度。WHQ由以下部分组成：身体症状、消沉情绪、血管神经症状、记忆力/注意力集中力、吸引力、焦躁情绪、性表现、睡眠问题以及月经表现。
        The randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted at Ham-Ming Hospital in Taiwan with 155 perimenopausal women. Each day, patients either received 200 mg Pycnogenol® or placebo, and recorded their symptoms using the Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ). The WHQ consisted of the following: somatic symptoms, depressed mood, vasomotoric symptoms, memory/concentration, attractiveness, anxiety, sexual behavior, sleep problems and menstrual symptoms.

         除此之外，病人在实验开始后的第一个月、第三个月和第六个月到医院复查。每次检查都会记录病人的BMI、血压、血脂水平、和整体抗氧化水平。
        Additionally, patients visited the clinic at one, three and six months following start of treatment. At each visit, BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile and total antioxidant status were recorded.

        经过6个月的治疗之后，碧萝芷®治疗组患者的LCL（坏）胆固醇水平较安慰剂组低10%。服用碧萝芷®治疗的患者的抗氧化水平也较安慰剂组有所提高。在实验进行的过程中，碧萝芷®组的患者在治疗1个月之后，就相继反映，能够感觉到症状改善的效果。WHQ中所列的所有症状均得到了明显的改善，同时，病人没有反映有任何不好的副作用。而在安慰剂组，实验前后没有观察到明显的症状改善。
        After six months, LDL (bad) cholesterol dropped by 10 percent with Pycnogenol® treatment compared to placebo. Patients who supplemented with Pycnogenol® also had increased antioxidant levels compared to the placebo group. During treatment, rapid improvement of symptoms was reported from the Pycnogenol® group after one month. All symptoms of the WHQ improved significantly compared to the start of treatment, and patients did not report unwanted side effects. In the placebo group, no significant changes of symptoms were recorded.

        “现在，使用更为安全的天然制品替代荷尔蒙，来改善更年期症状已经成为一种趋势，因为荷尔蒙会给人体带来副作用。此次实验所研究的碧萝芷®就可以成为一种很好的替代药物，因为，碧萝芷®不会像荷尔蒙那样带人体带来副作用，”罗德沃尔德博士说。
        “There is a shift away from the use of hormone replacement therapy due to side effects and in its absence women are searching for safe and natural options to help manage their symptoms. This study investigating Pycnogenol® as a potential natural alternative is very encouraging in view of the safety of Pycnogenol® as it does not bear any hormone-like activities at all,” said Dr. Rohdewald.

        有大量的实验证明了碧萝芷®对女性的保健作用，如，缓解经期疼痛和子宫内膜炎，这一功效还获得了专利。此外，还有许多实验证明碧萝芷®是一种天然的抗炎症物质，因此，可以减轻炎症引起的经期相关疼痛。
        Numerous other published studies reveal Pycnogenol®’s effectiveness for women’s health, such as relieving menstrual pain and endometriosis, and it is patent-protected for this application. Additional studies reveal Pycnogenol® is a natural anti-inflammatory, which provides the basis for the rationale to use Pycnogenol® to naturally moderate inflammatory pain sensation involved in menstruation.