EurekAlert! -- (March 3, 2010) – HOBOKEN, NJ – An estimated one in ten adults suffers from kidney disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. A leading cause of kidney disease is hypertension, which effects one out of every four U.S. adults. Chronically high blood pressure damages capillaries of the kidneys which in turn affects the organ’s ability to filter waste and remove excess fluids from the body. A study published in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics reveals Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, counteracts kidney damage caused by hypertension, lowering urinary proteins and improving blood flow to the kidneys.
