Indena has a new (or rebranded) grape seed extract, called Enovita, which they are positioning as a treatment for pre-hypertension (120-130 mmHg systolic). It's extracted using water only (no chemical solvent residues).
Study: Enovita 300 mg/day + lifestyle improvements over 4 months produced a reduction in systolic blood pressure from 149 to 112 mmHg which seems rather impressive (for comparison, the control group - lifestyle/ diet modifications only - went from 153 to 141 mmHg):
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/313142/ (full text)
Grape Seed Procyanidins in Pre- and Mild Hypertension: A Registry Study
Gianni Belcaro, Andrea Ledda, Shu Hu, Maria Rosa Cesarone, Beatrice Feragalli, and Mark Dugall
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Irvine3 Circulation-Vascular Labs and San Valentino Vascular Screening Project, Gabriele D’Annunzio University, SS 16 Bis 94, Spoltore, Pescara, Italy
Received 22 July 2013; Accepted 20 August 2013
Abstract
The efficacy of a standardized grape seed procyanidins extract (GSPE, Enovita) to decrease blood pressure when associated with nondrug intervention (diet and lifestyle modifications) was investigated in a controlled registry study involving 119 healthy, pre- and mildly hypertensive subjects. Two dosages of Enovita were evaluated (150 and 300 mg/die), using blood pressure and heart rate as the primary endpoints and complementing these observations with a laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) investigation of the microcirculation state and an evaluation of the plasma oxidative status. After four months of treatment, a statistically significant higher, and dose-dependent, improvement in all endpoints was observed in the treatment groups compared to that of the control, with blood pressure normalizing in 93% of the higher dosage (300 mg) treatment group. Taken together, these observations suggest that GSPEs have beneficial cardiovascular effects that complement current intervention strategies in the hypertension area. The effect on blood pressure adds to the beneficial effects of GSPEs on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) phenotype associated with the oxidation of membrane lipids (endothelial dysfunction, formation of oxidized LDL, and activation of phagocytic cells).
Pre-hypertension (from paper):
Conventionally, high blood pressure is associated with values of systolic and diastolic pressure higher than 139 mm Hg and 89 mm Hg, respectively, while the corresponding normal values are considered those <120 mm Hg and <80 mm Hg [10]. The grey area between normality and hypertension has been named prehypertension and is generally treated only with diet and lifestyle modifications (self-monitoring, exercise, and relaxation), as often happens for the stage 1 of hypertension, the one associated with 140–159/90–95 mm Hg values [10]. Severe hypertension is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease, more important than high non-HDL cholesterol or obesity [11], but there is mounting evidence that also chronic prehypertension is detrimental for cardiovascular health. Nevertheless, the side-effect profile of hypotensive drugs (diuretics, beta-blockers, and ACE-inhibitors) makes their generalized use in prehypertensive patients questionable [10], providing a rationale to investigate the potential of supplementation with diet-derived agents to promote the attainment of healthy values of blood pressure in this population. In this context, GSPs are the best validated dietary constituents, due to their occurrence in red wine, where contents in the range of 1 g/L are not uncommon, and their identification as the molecular link between wine and its protective cardiovascular properties [5]...
Inclusion criteria for this study were a general good health and borderline hypertension, defined as prehypertension (120–139 mm Hg/80–89 mm Hg) and stage 1 hypertension (140–159 mm Hg/90–99 mm Hg) [10]. The evaluation of general good health involved clinical evaluation and history, full blood test panel to rule out alterations in the lipid profile, fasting glucose or hepatitis markers, an overall normal hematocrit, and proteins profile and coagulation, as well as exclusion of hormonal alterations (thyroid and adrenal).
Enovita:
Enovita, a standardized grape seed extract, and the corresponding blank formulation were provided by Indena (Milan, Italy). Enovita contains ca. 8.6% (HPLC) monomeric procyanidins (catechin, epicatechin, and epicatechin gallate) and ca. 91% OPC (GPC), of which 9% (HPLC) are of the dimeric type. The water content is ca. 5%.
Results:
A decrease of systolic blood pressure was observed in all four groups of the study at month 1, but the decrease was significantly higher in the treatment group (). Thus, the average drop of systolic pressure was 28 mm Hg in the high dosage branch and 21 mm Hg in the lower dosage group, while in their respective control groups the decrease was more modest (11 mm Hg). During the next checks, the systolic pressure underwent a further, but much lower, decrease to eventually reach, at the end of the study, an average value of 112 mm Hg in the high dosage group, 123 mm Hg in the lower dosage group, and 141 mm Hg in the control group. In this latter group, no significant further decrease in systolic pressure was observed after the first check. The decrease was, as expected, lower for the diastolic pressure, but a difference between the treatment and the control could still be observed. Thus, in the two treatment groups, a decrease of the diastolic pressure was also observed and developed more gradually in time, eventually reaching 82.3 3.0 mm Hg (from 91.3 2.0 mm Hg) for group 1 and 85.3 2.0 mm Hg (from 91.3 mm Hg) for group 2 (Table 2). Conversely, the decrease was marginal in the control group (from 90.4 2.5 mm Hg to 88.9 3.2 mm Hg). As expected from the data on blood pressure, heart rate was also significantly better reduced in the interventional arms compared to their controls (Table 1), decreasing from 78 3.5 mm Hg to 70 1.5 mm Hg in group 1, from 77 3.4 mm Hg to 72 2.0 mm Hg in group 2, and from 77.2 3.3 mm Hg to 73.2 2.2 mm Hg in the control (group 3).
