Benefits
Antioxidant activity in lab tests
Apple procyanidins scavenge superoxide radicals in test tube assays. No human study has measured antioxidant status or protection of cells or blood vessels in people taking this extract.
Skin color after UV exposure in a trial of a similar apple extract
In a 12 week double blind trial in 65 healthy women, 300 or 600 mg a day of Applephenon, a similar unripe apple extract, reduced the rise in redness and melanin after UV exposure versus placebo, measured as change from baseline. Raw readings did not differ and skin moisture did not improve. Apfenol itself has not been tested.
Inflammation: not measured in people
Anti-inflammatory activity has been described in laboratory studies. It has not been measured in people taking this extract.
Mechanism of action
Procyanidin antioxidants
Apple procyanidins scavenge superoxide radicals in test tube assays. Whether this leads to antioxidant protection in the body at supplement doses has not been tested.
Vascular and metabolic signaling
In laboratory studies, apple polyphenols affect markers of blood-vessel function and of glucose and lipid handling. These are mechanistic findings, not outcomes measured in people taking this extract.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled 12 week trial of 300 or 600 mg a day of Applephenon tablets from Asahi Breweries, not Apfenol. Asahi funded the study, and two of the five authors declared they worked for the company. (Shoji et al. 2020, Nutrients)
65 healthy Japanese women aged 20 to 39; 59 analysed.
The change from baseline in UV induced redness, melanin and lightness was significantly smaller with apple polyphenols than placebo, but raw readings did not differ between groups at any point and there was no clear dose response. Facial water content and water loss did not differ from placebo. No supplement related adverse events.