SOURCE: CreAgri

June 21, 2007 06:00 ET

Olive Polyphenols May Hold Answer to Healthy Skin

Clinical Trial Indicates Olivenol™ Shows Promise in Treating Severe Skin Disorders

HAYWARD, CA--(Marketwire - June 21, 2007) - When researchers in Japan undertook a study in 2004 to research the effect of the dietary supplement Olivenol™ on inflammatory diseases, they got a pleasant surprise. Study participants who suffered from severe skin disorders -- including psoriasis purulenta, erythema nodosum and allergic dermatitis -- experienced marked improvement in their condition after just two months' time. The researchers enrolled more patients with serious skin diseases into the study to investigate whether there was a correlation between the high-polyphenol olive juice extract and improved skin health. Interestingly, there was. CreAgri, makers of Olivenol™, today released clinical research data showing the product may benefit people affected by psoriasis and other severe skin disorders.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated genetic disease in which the growth cycle of cells is abnormally sped up. Instead of taking the normal 28-30 days to grow, mature and fall off, psoriatic skin cells take only 3-4 days to complete the cycle. Like a factory worker trying to operate an assembly line that is going way too fast, the skin cannot keep up with the production of new cells, so the dead ones pile up and form silvery white scales over red inflamed lesions on the skin. According to the National Institutes of Health, 7.5 million Americans are affected by psoriasis. There is no cure for the disease, and no treatment to date has been developed to efficiently treat and prevent it. Worse yet, currently available treatments are wrought with unpleasant and even toxic side effects. That makes CreAgri's news all the more ground-breaking.

The 12-month Olivenol™ human clinical trial, conducted at the Tokyo Vascular Disease Institute under the supervision of the late Professor Fujio Numano, included a total of 35 patients affected by various inflammatory diseases -- 8 of whom had serious skin disorders. Each patient was administered two tablets of Olivenol™ per day and monitored monthly for disease progression or reduction. All eight of the patients with skin disease showed improvements after two months of treatment. In some cases, dramatic improvement was achieved in less than six months.

Olivenol™ contains CreAgri's proprietary ingredient Hidrox®, a polyphenol formulation recovered from the juice of organic olives, which contains hydroxytyrosol -- the polyphenol with the highest free radical protection ever reported for an antioxidant compound. Olive polyphenols are abundant in olive water, but only present in extra virgin olive oil in limited amounts.

"The effect of Olivenol™ on patients with severe skin disorders is just one more amazing action of olive polyphenols," declared Dr. Roberto Crea, founder and CEO of CreAgri. "When we started the study with Professor Numano, we knew of some benefits of olive polyphenols to the skin when applied topically. This is the first time we have seen a powerful beneficial effect on severe skin diseases with orally ingested polyphenols."

CreAgri's discovery confirms that healthy, beautiful skin can be achieved by using an approach that works from the inside out. The clinical research data illustrate the potential use of natural active compounds -- in particular, olive polyphenols -- in the treatment of severe medical conditions. Realizing the importance of this discovery, Dr. Crea opted to hold the release of the study results until a patent application could be submitted and made public. One and a half years later, the use of hydroxytyrosol-rich olive polyphenols for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions is now patent-pending worldwide.

The effects could be far-reaching. "We believe that this discovery may lead to a better understanding of some skin problems, especially those related to immune and auto-immune mechanisms," Dr. Crea stated. "It could ultimately provide a deeper knowledge of psoriasis and its medical treatment."

How does Olivenol™ work? Researchers believe that in psoriasis, the immune system is mistakenly triggered, causing the cell growth cycle to abnormally speed up. Dr. Crea speculates that the polyphenols contained within the olive juice extract may have some still unknown inhibitory effect on the immune system. While more research is needed to verify that hypothesis, one thing is sure: sufferers of psoriasis and other skin conditions may have found the solution they've been looking for -- one that is safe, natural, inexpensive and side-effect free.

Based in California, CreAgri, Inc. is the world leader in the recovery of olive polyphenols directly from the juice of organic olives -- a novel source of polyphenols that, until now, has been treated as a waste product by the olive oil industry. The company's goal is to provide health benefits by creating science-based natural products that achieve "the creative balance of nature and technology." CreAgri's patented process used to recover olive polyphenols is completely environmentally friendly. The company even grows its own olives on its organic olive ranch in California.

Hidrox®, the proprietary formulation featured in Olivenol™, is marketed worldwide by DSM Nutritional Products for dietary supplement and food applications and by EMD Merck for its use in cosmetic and skin care products. CreAgri has maintained commercial rights for applications in the medical field and intends to lead the effort in the discovery and development of products that may alleviate the problems associated in skin aging, wound healing, and burns, in addition to the previously mentioned skin disorders.

For more information on Olivenol™, Hidrox®, or other CreAgri products, www.creagri.com or 1-866-4CREAGRI, or (510) 732-6478.