Glucose Factor

Clinical research is shows that cardiovascular health strategies should address multiple metabolic factors in order to achieve optimal wellness. In addition to maintaining healthy lipid levels, cardiovascular wellness is also driven by many metabolic factors, including blood sugar control, blood pressure, inflammatory balance and the profile of lipoproteins synthesized by the liver. This product offers multidimensional support for cardiovascular and metabolic health. Among their numerous benefits, berberine and MegaNatural® BP grape seed extract activate genes that regulate lipid and glucose utilization, support healthy liver function and aid in maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Berberine is a plant extract that has been used in Chinese and Aryuvedic medicine for over 2,500 years for its broad range of health-promoting properties. Berberine can be found in the roots and stems of plants such as Hydastatis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (goldenthread), Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape) and Berberis vulgaris (barberry). Clinical trials have demonstrated that berberine administration supports cardiovascular health in a number of synergistic ways including maintaining blood pressure, supporting healthy heart contraction and rhythm and supporting healthy cholesterol levels. ^[1,2] A clinical trial with 32 subjects demonstrated that administration of 500 mg of berberine given twice daily for three months helped maintain healthy LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, versus the control group. ^[3] Another recent study using 500 mg of berberine was able to reproduce similar results, confirming berberine’s powerful effect on specific cardiovascular markers including LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. ^[4]

In addition to maintaining healthy lipid levels, berberine has also been shown to maintain healthy blood glucose levels and support healthy liver function.^[5] The mechanism behind berberine’s glucose balancing mechanisms include activation of a protein called adenosine mono-phosphate kinase (AMPK). AMPK coordinates both long-term and short-term metabolic changes, leading to an improvement in energy production and a reduction of energy storage. AMPK improves insulin sensitivity, and down-regulates genes involved in fat storage while activating genes involved with burning fat. ^[6]

Berberine has also been shown to promote the uptake of glucose through a mechanism that does not require insulin, promoting better glucose usage within the cell. ^[6] A study examining berberine’s metabolic supporting effects found that berberine improved glucose tolerance and maintained healthy insulin levels, while helping to maintain healthy total cholesterol and triglyceride levels after four weeks of berberine administration. ^[7]

MegaNatural® BP is a premium grape seed extract backed by science. It is made in California from a special seed blend extracted with water from a variety of white wine grape seeds. Grapes and grape products contain phenolic compounds which have been found to have health- promoting properties, particularly because of their involvement with the “French Paradox”, or the high rate of cardiovascular wellness in the French population despite their high intake of dietary fat. Phenolic compounds are found in high concentrations in grape seed extract and have been found to support healthy arterial dilation and blood flow. ^[8] Polyphenols have been shown to activate nitric oxide (NO) synthase. ^[9] NO synthases are a family of enzymes that increase the production of nitric oxide, a compound that promotes healthy blood vessel dilation and circulation throughout the body.

A study examining the effects of MegaNatural® BP grape seed extract in 27 volunteers found that after four weeks of supplementation with either 150mg or 300mg, the participants were able to maintain healthy blood pressure levels. ^[10] The participants taking 300 mg also had a significant reduction in oxidized low-density lipoprotein when compared to placebo.

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3. Kong W, Wei J, Abidi P, et al. Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. Nat Med 2004;10(12): 1344-1351.
4. Derosa G, D’Angelo A, Bonaventura A, Bianchi L, Romano D, Maffioli P. Effects of berberine on lipid profile in subjects with low cardiovascular risk. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2013; 13(4):475-82.
5. Zhang H, Wei J, Xue R, Wu JD, Zhao W, Wang SK, Zhou ZX, Song DQ, Wang YM, Pan HN, Kong WJ, Jiang JD. Berberine lowers blood glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients through increasing insulin receptor expression. Metabolism 2010; 59(2):285-92.
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10. Sivaprakasapillai B, Edirisinghe I, Randolph J, Steinberg F, Kappagoda T. Effect of grape seed extract on blood pressure in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Metabolism. Dec 2009;58(12):1743-1746.