Lead Author’s Financial Disclosures
None
Study Funding
None
Background/Synopsis
BPF, a concentrated extract of the bergamot citrus fruit endemic to Calabria, Italy has been shown to be a powerful anti-oxidant and lipid-lowering agent. A “natural statin” (HMG-CoA reductase activity) and an inhibitor of sterol absorption in the gut, it demonstrates significant lipid lowering in patients with dyslipidemia while addressing all the components of the metabolic syndrome. Patients with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD have a preponderance of atherogenic lipoprotein particles and are at elevated risk for atherosclerosis.
Objective/Purpose
To determine whether bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF), could significantly improve cholesterol levels and lipoprotein particle size, density, and number in patients with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD.
Methods
There were 107 patients who met the NCEP-ATP III criteria for metabolic syndrome and had ultrasonic evidence of severe NAFLD (hepato-renal index 2.5-3.5) and were admitted to the study. Before and after 120 days of BPF 650 mg twice/day, all patients had full lipid analysis and lipoprotein fractionation (NMR/Raman spectroscopy).
Results
Tabled
1
| Measurement | pre-BPF | 120 days of BPF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 245 ± 8.3 | 182 ± 7.1 | < 0.05 |
| LDL-C (mg/mL) | 162 ± 4.3 | 101 ± 1.8 | < 0.05 |
| HDL-C (mg/mL) | 38 ± 3.8 | 49 ± 4 | < 0.05 |
| Triglycerides (mg/mL) | 232 ± 5.1 | 160 ± 4.8 | < 0.05 |
| Baseline | after BPF | ||
| Plasma lipoprotein plasma diameter, nm | |||
| VLDL | 55.3 ± 6,4 | 44.5 ± 5.2* | |
| LDL | 22.6 ± 1.7 | 18.0 ± 0.8* | |
| HDL | 7.5 ± 0.8 | 9.6 ± 0.9* | |
| Plasma lipoprotein particles, nmol/L | |||
| Total VLDL | 83 ± 14 | 54 ± 12* | |
| Large VLDL | 4,2 ± 2 | 1.8 ± 1.3* | |
| Medium VLDL | 31 ± 9 | 14 ± 8* | |
| Small VLDL | 43 ± 9 | 38 ± 10 | |
| Total LDL-P | 1477 ± 75 | 1293 ± 101* | |
| IDL | 77 ± 16 | 38 ± 10* | |
| Large LDL | 424 ± 87 | 653 ± 95* | |
| Small LDL | 986 ± 105 | 612 ± 98* | |
| Plasma HDL, μmol/L | |||
| Total HDL | 30 ± 2 | 36 ± 3* | |
| Large HDL | 5 ± 3 | 15 ± 4* | |
| Medium HDL | 7 ± 4 | 7 ± 3 | |
| Small HDL | 18 ± 5 | 14 ± 4 * | |
*BPF vs baseline values
Conclusions
In a group of 107 patients with confirmed NAFLD and metabolic syndrome, BPF given twice per day before meals significantly improved all standard measures of cholesterol concentration. Furthermore, all atherogenic particle characteristics (size, density and number) of LDL and HDL were markedly improved as well as remnant lipoproteins.
Article info
Publication history
186
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
