Polyphenol supplements
Polyphenol research polyphenol immune system

Polyphenols are a large family of natural compounds widely distributed in plant foods. Daily consumption in the US ranges from 200 mg to 1 g. Resveratrol is a well known polyphenol found in grape and red wine and has free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties in various tissues.
 

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Polyphenols include:
Phenols -- vanillin. Phenolic compounds display a large range of structures and they are responsible for the major organoleptic characteristics of plant-derived-foods and beverages, particularly color and taste properties and they also contribute to the nutritional qualities of fruits and vegetables. Phenolic compounds are highly unstable compounds which undergo numerous enzymatic and chemical reactions during postharvest food storage and processing thus adding to the complexity of plant polyphenol composition.
Benzoic acid derivatives -- courmaric acid, caffeic acid
Flavonoids are one of the most ubiquitous groups of all plant phenolics.
        Anthocyanidins -- these are found in berries, including Bilberry
        Isoflavones -- genistein, found in soy. High doses of soy isoflavones (100 mg per day) reduce symptoms of menopause.
        Flavanols -- catechins are found in Cacao
        Flavones -- apigenin
        Flavonols -- quercetin, kaempferol. See here to buy the polyphenol Quercetin.
        Flavanones -- naringen
        Proanthocyanidins --

Polyphenols and cancer
Plant-derived polyphenols can slow the growth of cancer cells in mice and curb the spread of cells by triggering a series or reactions that causes the cells to self-destruct, a process known as apoptosis. Several studies have shown that a group of antioxidant compounds found in grapes, Grape-Seed extract, green tea, soybeans and wine lower the risk of a range of cancers.

Polyphenol supplement
Pycnogenol is a patented product obtained from the bark of French maritime pine. The primary ingredients are phenolic compounds such as catechin, epicatechin, and taxifoin, as well as flavonoids including procyanidins and proanthocyanidins.

Potential uses of polyphenols
Anti-inflammatory -- most polyphenols have anti-inflammatory properties.
Immune system -- most have anti-microbial activity.
Anti-tumor -- most have anti-carcinogenicity properties.
Anti-oxidant -- Extracts from onion and various flavonoids induce the cellular antioxidant system. Onion extract and quercetin were able to increase the intracellular concentration of glutathione by approximately 50%. Polyphenols may be helpful in diabetic retinopathy.
Vasodilation and nitric oxide production -- Diets rich in either red wine, quercetin or catechin induce endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in rat aorta in a resting state through the enhancement of (*)NO production, without modifying O(2)(.-) generation, thus the bioavailability of NO was increased. The increase in the (*)NO-cyclic GMP pathway explains the beneficial effect of flavonoids at vascular level.

Apple polyphenols reduce cholesterol
Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index.
J Oleo Sci. 2007;56(8):417-28. Fundamental Research Laboratory, Asahi Breweries, Ltd., Moriya-shi, Ibaraki, Japan.
We performed a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study on moderately obese male and female subjects (71 subjects) with a body mass index ranging from 23 to 30 to evaluate the efficacy of 12-week intake of polyphenols extracted from apples and hop bract (600 mg/day). We confirmed that 12-week ingestion of polyphenol containing capsules significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. The effects of the apple polyphenol containing capsules were more marked than those of the hop bract polyphenol containing capsules. The visceral fat area and the level of adiponectin in the group administered apple polyphenols improved in comparison with the control group. Blood and physical examinations revealed no clinical problems, and no side effects were observed. These results demonstrate that apple polyphenols regulate fat metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index.

Chocolate polyphenols
Chocolate has important flavonoids (a type of polyphenols). Many flavonoids dilate blood vessels and have antioxidant properties. The objective of the study was to compare the effects of either dark or white chocolate bars on blood pressure and glucose and insulin responses to an oral-glucose-tolerance test in healthy subjects. After a 7 day cocoa-free phase, 15 healthy subjects were randomly assigned to receive for 15 days either 100 grams of dark chocolate bars, which contained approximately 500 mg polyphenols, or 90 grams of white chocolate bars, which has no polyphenols. Results showed that systolic blood pressure was slightly lower after dark than after white chocolate ingestion by about 4 points and insulin sensitivity was enhanced which means blood sugar can enter cells and tissues more easily rather than linger in the bloodstream causing problems.