Nutraceutical synergism: Pycnogenol® and coenzyme Q₁₀ enhance cardiovascular health

Frequently, dietary supplements, vitamins and nutraceuticals are studied and recommended as sole sources of therapy, based upon their individual activities. Scientifically, studies of multiple agents, especially in humans, are infrequent because of the difficulty in asserting mechanisms of action. However, foods are complex mixtures of water- and fat-soluble antioxidants, providing key functions in health promotion and interacting to maintain antioxidant homeostasis. In prevention and treatment of disease mixtures, two or more dietary supplements should be more effective than each individual one. Therefore, we evaluated the published literature and some initial research suggesting that Pycnogenol® and coenzyme Q₁₀, water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants respectively, may have synergies to promote heart health.