These powerful antioxidants are unique in the world, invented and manufactured in France…

HISTORY:

During his second voyage from November 1534 to April 1535, the crew of French explorer Jack Cartier, who was leading an expedition on the St Lawrence River in Quebec, were struck down by scurvy*. Twenty-five sailors died.
Thanks to the Amerindians, dying men drank a tea of pine needles and bark, the solid residue being used as a poultice on swollen joints. The men recovered completely within a week thanks to this incredible beverage concocted from crushed pine bark and thorns, known as ANNEDA.
The reasons for this cure were not explained until centuries later.

DISCOVERY:

Jack Masquelier (1922-2009), Professor at the University of Bordeaux, former Dean of the Faculty of Bordeaux, Rector of the National Union of Oenologists, Doctor honoris causa of the University of Laval, Quebec, Doctor honoris causa of the Higher Institute of Biotechnology, Portugal.
He is the inventor of OPC, and took a keen interest in the history of Jacques Cartier and his travel accounts during a post-doctoral fellowship at Laval University in Canada in 1947. He set out to discover what, in the bark, might have saved the French sailors. When he was working on his doctoral thesis, he noticed that peanut skins contained proanthocyanidins, which doubled the strength of blood vessels in laboratory animals, a property that helped prevent the weakness and fragility of blood vessels associated with scurvy. These substances were also antioxidants, creating a synergistic effect with vitamin C to increase its potency. In previous experiments, he easily determined that the herbal tea used by the Amerindians should be rich in substances of the same nature as peanut skin. On his return to France, he continued his research into pine bark, which could contain this class of flavonoid compounds.

He was the first to isolate these powerful and unique plant extracts, oligo-proanthocyanidins or OPCs, in July 1948. He immediately filed a patent for the industrial method of producing the first OPC-based botanical product.
After many years of intensive research, he not only discovered that OPCs were not all the same, but that they came in different sizes and formed many different compositions that had different effects on human health. He spent decades developing the ultimate OPC compositions, now identified by the MASQUELIER’s® brand. These OPCs are still authenticated at every stage of their production by a group he created to preserve their unique composition and quality. He spent the rest of his life researching their remarkable effects on health.
Doctors and medical authorities quickly recognised the value of Masquelier’s OPCs, and in 1966 he obtained a new patent for the application of his extracts in the field of venous, vascular and capillary health.
In 1969, he founded a company in the Netherlands to oversee the production and distribution of his specific OPC compositions. In 1994, he sold all his activities to Masquelier’s owner, INC (International Nutrition Company).
Following the expiry of his patents, numerous ‘watered-down’ and weaker versions of Professor Masquelier’s extracts appeared on the market. To protect consumers, he decided to safeguard the integrity and reputation of his original extracts. He did this by granting the company that owns MASQUELIER’s® exclusive rights to use his name and signature as a trademark.

MANUFACTURING:

Today, MASQUELIER’s® OPCs are the only ones manufactured and tested in accordance with the patents and protocols developed by Jack Masquelier, which give them their unique qualities.

OPCs have been extracted from grape seeds and pine bark by Berkem laboratories in Blanquefort (33) since 1990 on the basis of patents held by Professor Masquelier. This group is considered to be the most competent and experienced company in the world in the production of top-quality OPC extracts.

The grape seeds used to make MASQUELIER’s® Original OPC are « vitis vinifera » grapes from the vineyards of the Champagne region in France (the grape pulp is used to make Champagne). The grapes from this region are world-renowned for their excellence in making Champagne. Similarly, the environmental conditions in this region enable us to obtain the excellence in grape seeds required for the OPCs specified by Professor Masquelier. They are processed as soon as they arrive in the cellar after the annual harvest. This ensures that the OPCs retain their full effectiveness.

The bark used to extract the OPCs is French maritime pine bark (Pinus Maritima) from the same forest originally used by Professor Masquelier in the Landes region of France, near his laboratory and home in Bordeaux. Once the pine bark has been harvested, the OPCs have to be extracted in just a few weeks, so as not to lose their effectiveness. They are then rapidly transported to the laboratory.

It should be remembered that in the manufacture of MASQUELIER’s® OPCs, only certain proanthocyanidins are retained in their smallest definitions, according to the classification originally used by Dr Masquelier. This explains the inimitable patent in these active ingredients and their bioavailability.

SCIENCE:

OPCs belong to the category of proanthocyanidins, which are a type of flavonoid made up of flavanols in the polyphenol family, and are chemical compounds that help to protect plants.

Because of their reduced size, oligomeric proanthocyanidins
have VERY high ‘bioavailability’ and are therefore more active.

This means that they are small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream and used by the body. Highly bioavailable OPCs have been found to have a number of health benefits, including vascular health, collagen and elastin support and whole-body homeostasis.

Unlike vitamin C, which is water-soluble and has antioxidant activity in aqueous media,
and unlike vitamin E, which is fat-soluble and has antioxidant activity in lipid media,
OPCs are active in both media**.

It was in 1985 that Dr Masquelier was able to further explain the intense and instant positive effects of OPCs on the human body when he discovered that OPCs neutralise free radicals, the common cause of seemingly unrelated degenerative conditions and the early onset of age-related changes in the body. He discovered that OPCs are powerful antioxidants and are unique in their ability to act in both the water and lipid phases to provide superior antioxidant support.

THE BENEFITS:

MASQUELIER’s® OPCs are one of the most powerful antioxidants known from a nutritional point of view, but they are often confused with other polyphenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and grape seed extracts. According to OPC manufacturer MASQUELIER’s®, there are many products available today that are OPC in name only. Hence the importance of asking for a certificate of authenticity.

MASQUELIER® OPCs offer a wide range of health benefits due to the physiological support they provide.

Support and protection for collagen and elastin
MASQUELIER® OPCs have multiple mechanical actions that contribute to the protection and regeneration of collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are essential components of the vascular system, all body tissues and the skin. The OPC ingredients in MASQUELIER® have proven relationships and mechanical actions with glycoproteins that help bind, strengthen and protect collagen and contribute to its regeneration.

Vascular support and protection
MASQUELIER® OPCs provide lifelong support for the vascular system, which inevitably weakens and loses flexibility over time. They support cardiovascular function, the strength and flexibility of capillaries and microvascular circulation. This vital system supplies nutrients to all the body’s cells and organs, and maintaining it in good health has many beneficial effects on the body as a whole. MASQUELIER’s® OPCs support circulation in a number of ways, including in the lymphatic system (part of the immune system) by promoting lymph flow.

Skin health, elasticity, pigmentation and regeneration
MASQUELIER® OPCs not only support healthy collagen and elastin, which play an important role in maintaining smooth, supple skin. They are also powerful antioxidants capable of reducing excess free radicals after daily oxidative stress and UV exposure. The skin regularly undergoes oxidative stress due to pollution, UV rays from the sun or a lack of nutrients. This can lead to premature ageing of the skin, reduced elasticity, pigmentation and wrinkles. MASQUELIER® OPCs support the skin’s health and regeneration process after daily oxidative stress and UV exposure.

Eye health
Human clinical trials show that MASQUELIER’s® OPCs can play an important role in eye health.
MASQUELIER® OPCs have been scientifically proven to contribute to eye health in a number of ways. They promote fluidity and blood circulation in the eye, particularly in the retina at the back of the eye and in the capillary function of the mucous membrane covering the eye. They also promote the health of the eye’s vast microvascular network. MASQUELIER’s® OPCs help the eye to function properly and to cope with glare and variations in light intensity.

Sports recovery
It has been scientifically proven that MASQUELIER® OPCs promote the recovery phase after exercise. They provide valuable support to the microvascular system in performing its post-exercise recovery functions. Microvascular health is essential to the recovery phase as it eliminates waste products and traps free radicals generated by oxidative stress caused by exercise. By supporting the homeostasis of the microvascular system, MASQUELIER’s® OPCs help counter the damage caused to vascular walls by free radicals during exercise, preparing the body for further training.

Heavy legs and spider veins
Human clinical trials show that MASQUELIER’s® original OPCs can play a key role in maintaining vascular health in the legs. MASQUELIER’s® OPCs support the microvascular system by maintaining venous tone, flexibility and integrity. They also promote the resistance and permeability of capillaries and lymphatic flow. Standing or sitting for long periods puts pressure on the veins, which can lead to heavy legs and spider veins. MASQUELIER’s® OPCs maintain healthy venous tone, which promotes healthy leg veins when they are under pressure.

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LES PROANTHENOLS DE LIFEPLUS

Lifeplus therefore use genuine OPC™ extracts from Masquelier’s Original OPCs.

Lifeplus products contain the purest and most reliable natural oligo-proanthocyanidins (OPCs) on the market. The natural oligo-proanthocyanidins (OPC) in Proanthenols are 100% bioavailable and residue-free.

The Lifeplus formula also includes water-soluble vitamin C, which has been shown to protect cells from oxidative ageing, and other water-soluble natural flavonoid antioxidants such as hesperidin, rutin and citrus bioflavonoids. Lastly, this formula contains Quercetin which, unlike other flavonoids, is fat-soluble. The antioxidant action is doubly beneficial thanks to their simultaneous action in aqueous and lipid environments. The synergy of these components increases the antioxidant action even further. What is synergy? Watch this video!

Proanthenols 100 prevent the synthesis of certain substances that trigger allergic and inflammatory reactions, thanks in particular to the combined action of OPC and Quercetin, which reduces the production of histamines and inflammatory cytokines.

Published by Joël (info@carolejoel.com)

Recommended reading :

*Scurvy: this fatal disease is linked to a deficiency in vitamin C (ascorbic acid), the cause of which was not discovered until 1928. It occurred after several months without eating fruit and vegetables. Punch’s success undoubtedly stems from this, when in the 18th century, with its alcohol, oranges and lemons, it became part of the crew’s bar/pharmacy.
**Publication on the Passport Santé website (France)

Sources :
https://ww1.lifeplus.com/fr/fr/product-details/9840/proanthenols-100-fr
https://www.masqueliers.com

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