Disclaimer: Scientific studies are for informational and educational purpose only. We do not claim therapeutic benefits for FrenchGlory isotonic OPC antioxidants
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is one of very common, chronic and abnormal inflammatory conditions of the lung, and is associated with weak immune system of the body. The major symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath The symptoms are general intermittent and recurring. Asthmatic attacks varying from mild to severe with gradual deterioration if untreated.
The lung epithelial tissue reacts to some of the allergens that cause an inflammatory reaction. Inflammation develops to cause swelling of the bronchial tubes with fluid and mucous as a way to fight and isolate the insulting allergen. The air pass ways for lungs get even more sensitive and vulnerable due to the swelling irritation.
At the molecular level, asthmatic hyperresponsiveness and inflammation of the airway are associated with increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and overproduction of nitric oxide (NO).
Allergens Triggering Asthma
There are a variety of environmental allergens that trigger the inflammatory immune response of the lung, such as mold, mites, dust, dander, chemicals & pollutants. Food allergens also exert inflammatory attacks on asthmatics, especially some food additives and preservatives like sodium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sulfur dioxide. The common inflammatory and mucous forming foods include pasteurized dairy products, gluten containing grains, soy products, & peanuts.
Asthma Treatment & Side Effects
Asthma needs a long-term management without a quick cure or without a cure at all. First, an asthma patient has to work with a health care professional for a treatment plan with a short or long term goals. There are a variety of OTC and prescription drugs available for immediately relief of asthmatic symptoms and for long-term asthma management. The OTC and prescription drugs work well to control the symptoms with a variety of side effects, and cannot target the causes of asthma (not to cure).
Some experts argue that the temporary relief of the asthmatic symptoms by synthetic drugs may actually worsen asthma in the long-term due to the side effect of the drugs, such as damages by the drugs to the immune system. The development of novel agents for the treatment of asthma has become considerably important, because of the growing incidence of asthma and because of the non-specificity and side effects of the conventional drugs. It would be ideal to explore some complementary medicines using natural products extracted from plants, which may be free of side effects.
Grape Seed Extract and OPC Antioxidants for Asthma
Grape seed extract contains OPC (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), natural products that have a wide spectrum of health promoting properties. Grape seed extract has been demonstrated with potent anti-inflammatory properties without side effects, and is a recognized dietary supplement excellent for health wellness. The long-term uses of grape seed extract supplement assist in improvement of the immune system, and can benefit any ones including asthmatic patients.
Scientific studies using animal models show that grape seed extract significantly improve lung function, lung capacity and reduces symptoms associated with asthma. Grape seed extract natural products can lower leukotriene substances in our bodies that are produced in response to inflammation. Dietary supplements such as grape seed extract antioxidants are targeting the causes, not suppressing the symptoms directly.
Selected Scientific Studies and Summaries
Reference 1.
Zhou DY, Du Q, et al. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract attenuates airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma by downregulating inducible nitric oxide synthase. Planta Med. 2011 Sep;77(14):1575-81.
Summary: A grape seed extract proanthocyanidin complex is studied for the effects on airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of allergic asthma. Grape seed extract was intraperitoneally injected into BALB/c mice, sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA). Grape seed extract is found to remarkably suppress airway resistance and reduce the total inflammatory cell and eosinophil counts in BALF. Grape seed extract also significantly enhanced the interferon (IFN)- γ level and decreased interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 levels in BALF and total IgE levels in serum. Further, grape seed extract reduced allergen-induced lung eosinophilic inflammation and mucus-producing goblet cells in the airway, and inhibited the elevated iNOS expression observed in the OVA mice. In conclusion, grape seed extract was found to decrease airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness by downregulating the iNOS expression. This potential in the treatment of allergic asthma is needed to be studied further.
Reference 2.
Mahmoud YI. Grape seed extract attenuates lung parenchyma pathology in ovalbumin-induced mouse asthma model: An ultrastructural study. Micron. 2012 May 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Summary: The study was set to explore the possibility of using plant natural products as promising alternatives for the development of effective and safe treatment of asthma. Grape seed extract supplement has been well-known for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study was to investigate specifically the effect of grape seed extract supplementation on lung parenchyma pathology and inflammation in ovalbumin-induced murine asthma model.
Ovalbumin exposure induces asthma in mice and causes many pathological and morphometric alterations in the lungs of the exposed mice: alveolar size reduction, alveolar wall thickening, cellular infiltration and blood capillary congestion, and significantly increased number of type II pneumocytes and lamellar bodies.
Grape seed extract supplementation to the mice of ovalbumin exposure significantly ameliorated the pathological changes of ovalbumin-induced asthma. The observations support that grape seed extract behaves as an effective, safe anti-inflammatory dietary supplement to attenuate the pathogenicity of asthma. These preliminary results need to be further investigated in order to understand the precise mechanism how the grape seed extract modulates on asthma remodeling.
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Grape Seed Extract May Help People of Asthma via Modulating the Inflammation and Improving the Lung Functions
