Healthy Man

Pycnogenol and omega-3s boost men’s health

Pycnogenol improved ED

Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) often have other health issues, such as lack of sleep and stress, and men with type 2 diabetes are three times more likely to develop ED than men without. In this study, 53 men with ED, 32 with type 2 diabetes and 21 without, took a placebo or 120 mg of Pycnogenol® per day.

After three months, among those taking Pycnogenol, men with diabetes reported a 45 percent improvement in ED symptoms vs. a 22 percent improvement for men without diabetes, both significant improvements.

Also, LDL cholesterol levels declined for those taking Pycnogenol: 20 percent for men with diabetes and 14 percent for those without. Men with diabetes taking Pycnogenol also saw 22 percent lower glucose levels. There were no significant changes for any of these measures in the placebo group.

Reference: Bratislava Medical Journal; 2019, Vol. 120, No. 12, 941-4

Omega-3s improved heart and circulation

Keeping a healthy flow of blood to the brain helps maintain cognitive function with age, but being sedentary, overweight, or obese can reduce cerebral circulation. In this study, 152 sedentary, overweight, and obese participants, aged 50 to 80, took 2,000 mg of DHA plus 400 mg of EPA per day; 160 mg of curcumin per day, or combined the omega-3s and curcumin.

Curcumin alone had no effect, but after 16 weeks, those taking the omega-3s with or without curcumin saw significant improvement in cerebral artery flexibility, a 3 percent average decline in heart rate, a 24 percent decline in triglycerides, and an 8 percent increase in HDL, the “good” cholesterol.

Reference: Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases; 2019, S0939-4753, Published Online