Natural Approaches to Cholesterol #5

Natural Approaches to HDL, LDL and Total Cholesterol #5

Continued from 01.12.11

Often combined with phytosterols, soy proteins have also shown to have cholesterol-lowering effects. A 12-week trial conducted by Metagenics showed a dietary program combining a low-glycemic index diet with a functional food delivering 30 g/d of soy protein and 4 g/d of phytosterols significantly decreased total cholesterol by 15.8 percent (P=0.0036) and LDL cholesterol by 14.8 percent (P=0.004) in postmenopausal women compared to subjects who followed the AHA Step 1 diet.18 In addition, significant improvements were observed in ratios of total to HDL cholesterol. That same soy protein/ phytosterol-fortified food, as part of a Mediterranean-style, low-glycemic-load diet improved cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with metabolic syndrome and hypercholesterolemia, including reductions in cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and cholesterol/HDL ratios (P<0.05).19

Beta-glucans are polysaccharides often found in traditional diets that feature in mushrooms, yeast, oats and barley. In 1997, FDA approved a health claim to be made for foods containing oat bran to be marketed as a cholesterol-reducing supplement at a dosage of 3 grams. A controlled, double blind study of 66 men who were randomly assigned to either oat milk (0.5-percent beta-glucan) or rice milk (control) for five weeks found oat milk significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (6 percent) and LDL cholesterol (6 percent) levels.20 Similarly, consuming at least 3 g/d of bioactive beta-glucan (from OatWell oat bran) may significantly lower LDL-cholesterol levels in individuals who have high cholesterol levels, according to a study that found two servings of OatWell cereal daily for four weeks decreased LDL cholesterol levels by 5.5 percent on average.21 Beta-glucan derived from barley was also found to lower cholesterol in mildly hyperchesterolemic men,22 and researchers from Jordan found barley and beta-glucan isolated from barley lowered total and LDL cholesterol concentrations by 0.3 mmol/l (P 0.00001) and 0.27 mmol/l

(P <0.00001),>chitin-glucan, which is of fungal origin and is the main component of the cellular walls of Aspergillus niger. In combination with 1,3 beta-glucans, chitin-glucan (as ARTINIA by Stratum Nutrition) reduced oxidized LDL in healthy humans with normal cholesterol levels by 26 percent after four weeks, according to company studies. Additionally, the company said ARTINIA significantly decreased hypercholesterolemia in mice fed a high-fat diet, and a 13-week safety and toxicology study in healthy rats found ARTINIA produced no adverse effects at the highest dose administered (about 6.6 g/kg bodyweight). The European Food Safety Authority recently concluded ARTINIA is a safe food ingredient. Furthermore, to confirm the results of the initial clinical study, ARTINIA will soon be evaluated in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study in North America for beneficial effects on validated biomarkers of cardiovascular health and oxidative balance.

Ayurvedic medicine may not go the fungal route when it comes to cholesterol, but it has used guggul, the resin of mukul myrrh tree (Commiphora mukul), native to Arabia and India for more than 2,000 years to alleviate problems associated with blood lipid levels. A 1994 study of 61 patients (31 in the guggulipid group and 30 in the placebo group) found guggulipid, 50 mg twice daily for 24 weeks, decreased total cholesterol level by 11.7 percent, LDL cholesterol by 12.5 percent and the ratio of the total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol by 11.1 percent, whereas the cholesterol levels were unchanged in the placebo group.25 A Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, trial showed guggulsterone treatment decreased hepatic cholesterol in wild-type mice fed a high-cholesterol diet,26 and a study from Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, noted Commiphora mukul and its cholesterol-lowering component, guggulsterone, effectively inhibited LDL oxidation.27 A Massachusetts General Hospital meta-analysis of nine databases, 20 additional journals and bibliographies from 50 selected secondary references found scientific evidence suggested guggulipid elicits significant reductions in serum total cholesterol,28 and a Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, UK, analysis of 25 randomized clinical trials identified guggul as one of the 11 herbal medicinal products that have been most extensively studied and have demonstrated reductions in total serum cholesterol levels between 10 percent and 33 percent.29

References:

19. Lerman RH, et al. “Enhancement of a modified Mediterranean-style, low glycemic load diet with specific phytochemicals improves cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with metabolic syndrome and hypercholesterolemia in a randomized trial.” Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008 Nov 4;5:29.
20. Onning G, et al. “Consumption of oat milk for 5 weeks lowers serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in free-living men with moderate hypercholesterolemia.” Ann Nutr Metab. 1999;43(5):301-9.
21. Wolever TM, et al. “Physicochemical properties of oat β-glucan influence its ability to reduce serum LDL cholesterol in humans: a randomized clinical trial.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Oct;92(4):723-32. Epub 2010 Jul 21.
22. McIntosh GH, et al. “Barley and wheat foods: influence on plasma cholesterol concentrations in hypercholesterolemic men.” Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 May;53(5):1205-9.
23. Abumweis SS, Jew S, Ames NP. “β-glucan from barley and its lipid-lowering capacity: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Oct 6.
24. Nicolosi R, et al. “Plasma lipid changes after supplementation with beta-glucan fiber from yeast.” Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Aug;70(2):208-12.
25. Singh RB, Niaz MA, Ghosh S. “Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of Commiphora mukul as an adjunct to dietary therapy in patients with hypercholesterolemia.” Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1994 Aug;8(4):659-64.
26. Urizar NL, et al. “A natural product that lowers cholesterol as an antagonist ligand for FXR.” Science. 2002 May 31;296(5573):1703-6.
27. Wang X, et al. “The hypolipidemic natural product Commiphora mukul and its component guggulsterone inhibit oxidative modification of LDL.” Atherosclerosis. 2004 Feb;172(2):239-46.
28. Ulbricht C, et al. “Guggul for hyperlipidemia: a review by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.” Complement Ther Med. 2005 Dec;13(4):279-90.
29. Thompson Coon JS, Ernst E. “Herbs for serum cholesterol reduction: a systematic view.” Fam Pract. 2003 Jun;52(6):468-78.

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