Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Oral supplementation with Bergamot extract significantly decreased total and LDL cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and blood glucose in hypercholesterolemic Wistar rats and in patients suffering from hyperlipidemia.
Maintaining healthy levels of blood sugar and blood lipid levels is a cornerstone for the prevention of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes 1 and cardiovascular disease 2. In many cases, prescription medications called statin drugs are used in addition to dietary changes to help achieve and maintain healthy levels of blood sugar and cholesterol 3.
The problem with statin drugs, however, is potentially severe side effects that include muscle pain (myalgia), muscle damage (myopathy 4 and severe muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis 5, making statin drugs an undesirable option for more than 40% of patients who need them 4(4). With blood sugar-controlling medications also shown to be occasionally insufficient to obtain healthy blood sugar levels 1, more effective dietary changes are needed.
The objective of a 2007 study 6 was to verify, in a rat model of diet –induced hyperlipemia (40 Wistar rats), the effect of a 30 day supplementation of Bergamot derived polyphenolic fraction (BPF) on lipid parameters of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose. The study also explored the effect of a 30-day supplementation of BPF in 237 patients with hyperlipidemia.
Rats were divided into 4 groups with 10 rats per group. Group 1 was a normal diet (control); Group 2 a hypercholesterolemic diet, Groups 3 & 4 a hypercholesteralemic diet plus BPF.
Patients were divided into the following four groups:
- Group A (104) hypercholesterolemia
- Group B (42) hypercholesterolemia
- Group C (59) Metabolic Syndrome (hyperlipidemia & glycemia
- Group D (32) Post-statin treatment
Groups A, B, and C were divided into 3 subgroups with the following doses:
- Group A1,B1,C1 – 500 mg /day BPF
- Group A2,B2, C2 – 1000 mg/day BPF
- Group A3, B3, C3 – Placebo
The fourth group, Group D, consisting of 32 patients who stopped statin therapy due to side effects – took 1500 mg/day of BPF and followed a 1600 kcal/day diet after a 60-day washout.
Before and after the study, blood samples were taken to measure blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
After 30 days of supplementation with 500 and 1000 mg of BPF, total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly reduced, while cHDL was significantly increased in both patients and Wistar rats.
The following chart reflects the improved blood lipid values in patients:
| Total Chol. (mg/dL) | p-value | HDL chol. (mg/dL) | p-value | LDL chol (mg/dL) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 mg Bergamot | 24.6% decrease (285 to 215) | < 0.05 | 20.5% increase (34 to 41) | < 0.05 | 34.3% decrease (190 to 125) | < 0.05 |
| 1000 mg Bergamot | 28.6% decrease (280 to 200) | < 0.05 | 7.1% increase (32 to 45) | < 0.001 | 29.8% decrease (185 to 130) | < 0.05 |
| Control | 1.7% increase (280 to 285) | > 0.05 | 2.9% increase (34 to 35) | < 0.05 | 0.5% increase (185 to 186) | > 0.05 |
Blood sugar levels also improved, with a 25.4% decrease in the 1,000 mg/d bergamot group (134 to 100, p < 0.05), a 22.3% decrease in the 500 mg/d bergamot group (135 to 105, p < 0.05), and a 1.5% decrease in the control group (137 to 135 mg/dL, p > 0.05). The Group D non- statin patients also had a 25% decrease in total cholesterol and a 27.6% decrease in LDL cholesterol.
When suggesting a mechanism for bergamot’s health-promoting properties, the researchers pointed to bergamot’s high levels of antioxidants called flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides 7,8, among them naringin 9, neoeriocitrin and rutin 10. They concluded that “bergamot offers a safe alternative for patients suffering from statins toxicity” and that “the possibility to reduce blood glucose by 15%–25% suggests a phytotherapeutic approach to control the prediabetic states in patients with metabolic syndrome.”
Source: Mollace, Vincenzo, et al. “Hypolipemic and hypoglycaemic activity of bergamot polyphenols: from animal models to human studies.” Fitoterapia 82.3 (2011): 309-316.
© 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Posted April 20, 2017.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
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