Q: What is Flavay®?
A: Flavay® is the original, highly specialized, nutritional
complex of pairs and triples of a specific molecule called "flavan-3-ol,"
isolated from natural extracts, and that has been extensively tested and
examined clinically for biological antioxidant protection, collagen strengthening,
tissue rebuilding and other health producing outcomes. (MORE...)
Q:Can the active ingredients in Flavay® be obtained in
food?
A:Yes and No. The active flavan-3-ol molecules in Flavay® can be found especially
in the fibrous and woody parts of naturally-ripened raw fruits
and vegetables and in the skins of seeds, nuts and fruits. Unfortunately,
our fruits and vegetables are typically deficient of these active polyphenol
molecules due to our modern methods of distributing food—which result
in fruits and vegetables that have been harvested while unripe. Another
cause for deficiency is cooking, which destroys the active polyphenols.
What's more, the skins of seeds, nuts and fruits are the parts of our
food that we generally discard or spit out.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2000) reports there are no flavanols in commercially prepared juices. The processing and storage of the concentrated juices at room temperature destroys the flavanol molecules completely.
Actually, the best "food" source is red wine. The active principles
in Flavay® are at the center of the curious phenomenon known as
the "French Paradox." Red wine is a carrier of these healthy
polyphenols. So, why not just drink red wine to get your daily dose of
flavan-3-ol? Alcoholic beverages are not ideal as dietary supplements
due to potential abuse, dependency and toxicity as a result of over consumption.
And, while alcohol can compromise liver function, Flavay® actually
helps protect hepatic capillaries (the smallest blood vessels
in the liver) from free radical damage and activates liver antioxidant
enzyme systems. The point is that Flavay® provides specific protection
to the liver, and red wine does not.
So, while drinking some red wine is a reasonably healthy for most adults,
the best way to guarantee a consistent daily intake of flavan-3-ol polyphenols
is in its pure concentrated form: Flavay®.
Q: How safe is Flavay®?
A: After 60 years of human use, no adverse effects
have been observed. Furthermore, intensive biological, toxicological, pharmacological
and analytical research was conducted for the purpose of registration
as a medicine in France and other countries in Europe. In one study, daily
doses of up to 35,000 mg for six months were determined to cause no adverse
effects. (MORE...)
Q:How does Flavay® affect the liver?
A: Flavay® helps protect hepatic capillaries (the smallest
blood vessels in the liver) from free radical damage and activates liver
antioxidant enzyme systems. A study of twenty patients with cirrhosis
of the liver showed that a daily intake of 300 mg of Flavay® can
help to decrease capillary fragility of the liver.
Q:Does Flavay® have any contraindications?
A:Flavay® has no known contraindications (conditions
under which it should not be used). Flavay® is completely safe and
nontoxic. In fact, clinical trials have been conducted in which pregnant
women (troubled by varicose veins and other circulatory problems in the
legs) safely used Flavay®. (MORE...)
Note: Flavay® may enhance the anticoagulant effects of anticoagulant
drugs (such as Coumadin or heparin). Notify your physician if you are
taking anticoagulant drugs, as a blood test may indicate to your physician
that the drug dose may be reduced if Flavay® or Flavay Plus®
is being consumed. This is because Flavay® has been shown to normalize
the reactivity ("stickiness") of blood platelets. (MORE...)
Q:Should I consult with my doctor before taking Flavay®?
A: Yes, please consult your doctor before starting any course
of supplementation or diet change, particularly if you are currently under
medical care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you
should consult your doctor.
Q:Is Flavay® Patented?
Flavay® is the product—
used in the actual experiments—by
which Dr. Jack Masquelier established the
"radical
scavenger effect".
A:
More than 60 years after Dr. Masquelier was awarded his first French patent in connection with Flavay®, all his patents have expired and there are many generic variations in the marketplace.
After more than 60 years, all Dr. Masquelier's patents have expired. In 1948 Dr. Jack Masquelier received a French Patent which described a method to extract the active principles in Flavay® from the bark of the pinus Maritima. In 1970 Dr. Masquelier received another French Patent which described an even more efficient extraction method of the active principles from the seeds of the vitis vinifera grapes. In 1987 Dr. Masquelier was awarded a now-expired U.S. patent to describe the "radical scavenger effect."
Now consumers need to know that the marketplace is full of imitations,
various “extracts” and derivative forms of Dr. Masquelier’s
scientifically proven and pefected complex. Unfortunately, many have used
Dr. Masquelier’s name and research in unauthorized ways to promote
a myriad of derivations. In fact, the other "leading brand" pine
bark extract, compared to Flavay® below, is an offshoot derived from
Dr. Masquelier's authentic work and products. But, independent comparative
testing demonstrates that the initial qualifying research conducted on the
authentic products may not be automatically transferred to other commercial
products. (MORE...)
Q:Have proper research studies proven Flavay’s® effectiveness?
A:
Yes, Flavay® is backed by 60 years of research
and human use and extensive testing for safety.
The original French and European brands were registered in France as over-the-counter
medications and it has therefore been consumed in Europe under medical supervision
for decades with no reports of adverse side effects. (MORE...)
Q:"What is the difference between the terms,
OPC and polyphenol? In some cases it appears synonymous and in others there
appears to be a distinction. On some labels it will say OPC, but in the
supplement facts, it says grape seed extract (vitis vinifera) 95% polyphenols.
I am confused."
A:It is confusing! and this is because these terms are used
inaccurately in the marketplace. "95% polyphenols" is a meaningless
expression in a scientific context. However, it does illustrate a problem:
In most cases, the following terms are used interchangeably for commercial
interests—or by mistake—and their differences have truly lost
all scientific meaning in the marketplace.
Therefore, when reading product labels, magazine articles and many popular
books, these scientific terms should be considered as generic words
and not scientific whatsoever. (MORE...)
Q:Are OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) the same as "grape
seed extract" or "pine bark extract" products?
A:Yes (in the marketplace) and No (in the scientific context).
Because of commercial interests—or by mistake— the terms,
OPCs and proanthocyanidins, have truly lost all of their scientific meaning
in the marketplace. In most cases, suppliers and retailers confuse grape
seed extracts as being synonymous with opcs or proanthocyanidins. (MORE...)
However, the terms are not the same in the scientific context. "Grape
seed extract" is a nonscientific term that has no specific meaning—other
than crushed seeds which can be toxic and oxidizing if not properly manufactured.
However, OPCs (short for oligomeric proanthocyanidins)
is the active ingredient that was discovered by Dr. Masquelier and proven
to have powerful antioxidant properties and other health producing benefits.
It's important to note that independent testing found no
active OPCs in a leading American brand of grape seed extract—even
though it's aggressively marketed as a branded OPC product. (MORE...)
Q:Is Flavay® the same as "grape seed extract"
or "pine bark extract"?
PHOTO: Dr. Masquelier's original and only industrial
manufacturing plant, located in Gardonne, France. A:No.
"Grape seed extract" is a vague, nonspecific term that really
has no scientific value. In fact, crude "grape seed extract"
(and "pine bark extract") imitations are virtually worthless
to the consumer without active and naturally-derived oligomeric proanthocyanidins
with antioxidant capacity. Some of these extract products contain nothing
more than grape seeds or other plant parts which have been pulverized
in a food processor. (MORE...)
Flavay®, on the other hand, is a very specific molecular complex
which is scientifically defined and manufactured according to the original
process developed and patented by Dr. Jack Masquelier in France, approved
as an over-the-counter medicine in France and manufactured under the control
of French Pharmaceutical inspection.
Independent laboratory testing demonstrates that Flavay® scores
the highest as an antioxidant and as a free radical scavenger, which is
precisely the free radical scavenging effect that Dr. Masquelier established and documented. (MORE...)
Q:Is Flavay® the same as OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins)
in the marketplace?
A:No.
OPCs (short for oligomeric proanthocyanidins)
is a term that covers many different and complex molecules. However, due
to commercial interests—or by mistake—the terms "OPCs"
and "proanthocyanidins" are often abused and misunderstood and
have therefore lost all of their scientific meaning in the marketplace.
(MORE...)
Independent testing found
no active OPCs in a leading American brand of "grape seed extract"—even
though it's aggressively marketed and branded as an OPC product.
(MORE...) It's true that "OPCs" is the group of active principles that
is responsible for bringing the "grape seed extract" category
of products to fame. However, independent testing found no
active OPCs in a leading American brand of grape seed extract,
even though it's labeled and aggressively marketed as a branded OPC product.
(MORE...)
Consumers should also be aware that some manufacturers of grape seed
and pine bark extracts have devised ways to artificially boost the proanthocyanidin
numbers for their extracts in a test tube (in vitro, which is
outside the living body and in an artificial environment ). However, there
is no scientific research to show whether the human body benefits from
this artificial boost.
Flavay® is unique. Flavay® is derived from the
original manufacturing process developed and perfected by Dr. Jack Masquelier
in France, which captures the naturally-derived oligomeric proanthocyanidins
from their plant sources. For 60 years, each batch has been
routinely and extensively tested and analyzed to guarantee consistency,
potency and purity.
Independent laboratory testing demonstrated that Flavay® scores
the highest as an antioxidant and as a free radical scavenger, which is
precisely the free radical scavenging effect that Dr. Masquelier
established and documented. (MORE...)
Q:
Do you have additional questions about Flavay®?
A:Click here to submit a question or call 1-800-200-1203.
CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE A FREE FULL-COLOR RESEARCH BROCHURE
REFERENCES:
Masquelier, J. A lifetime devoted to OPC and pycnogenol. Alfa Omega Editrice,
Pub., 1996.
Schwitters, B., Masquelier, J. OPC in practice. Alfa Omega Editrice, Publishers,
1995.
Kilham, C., Masquelier, J. OPC: The miracle antioxidant. Keats Publishing,
Inc., 1997.
The International Nutrition Company Special Report, "Pine vs. Pine
Comparative Analysis between Masquelier's Original Pine Bark OPCs and another
leading brand pine bark extract," Oc. 1998.
PhytoChem Technologies, Inc., Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Ju. 1998.
The International Nutrition Company Special Report,"Masquelier's Original
OPCs and ten grape seed extracts; an independent, reproducible state-of-the-art
comparative analysis," No. 1997.
Facino RM, et al. Free radical scavenging action and anti-enzyme activities
of procyanidines from Vitis vinifera. A mechanism for their capillary protective
action. Arzneimittelforschung, 44: 592-601, 1994.
Havsteen, B. Flavonoids, a class of natural products of high pharmacological
potency. Biochem Pharmacol, 32:1141-48, 1983.
Masquelier, J., et al. “Flavonoids et pycnogenol” Int J Vit Nut
Res, (49)3:307-311, 1979.
Yu, C. L. et al. Mutagenicity of proanthocyanidins. Food Chem. Toxicol.
25(2):135-9, 1987.
Pantaleoni, G.C., Quaglino, D. Univerisity of Aquila Pharmacol-Toxicologica
Report, 1971.
Laparra, J., et al., Acta Therapeutica, 4:233, 1978.
Volkner, Wolfgang Muller, Ewald, Micronucleus assay in bone marrow cells
of the mouse with Pycnogenol. Cytotest Cell Research GmbH & Co., projects
143010 & 143021; Feb. 1989.
Acute and chronic toxicity tests. International Bio-Research, Inc., Hanover,
Germany, 1967-1971.
Dumon, M., Michaud, J., Masquelier, J. Proanthocyanidin content in vegetable
extracts to be used in the preparation of medicines. Bull. Soc. Pharm. Bordeaux,
129:51-65, 1990.
