According to a new research study released in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, six extensively used dietary supplements promoted for improving heart health were ineffective at lowering “bad” cholesterol. These supplements consisted of fish oil, turmeric, garlic, and cinnamon.
According to late-breaking science results, six extensively utilized dietary supplements promoted for improving heart health were ineffective at decreasing LDL or “bad” cholesterol in contrast to a typical low-dose statin medication or placebo. The findings existed at the American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions 2022 on November 6. The conference, kept in individual in Chicago and virtually, November 5-7, 2022, is a premier worldwide exchange of the current clinical developments, research, and evidence-based medical practice updates in cardiovascular science.
Six commonly used dietary supplements promoted for enhancing heart health– including brands of fish oil, garlic, cinnamon, and turmeric– were not effective at decreasing “bad” cholesterol more than placebo after 28 days of use.
However, a typical, low-dose cholesterol-lowering medication (a statin) had a substantial effect on bad cholesterol throughout the 28-day study period.
In addition, the dietary supplements did not minimize inflammatory markers, which suggests they might be unlikely to lower cardiovascular disease danger a minimum of throughout the very first month of usage.
The study investigated these dietary supplements:
” According to a 2020 marketing research analysis, Americans invest an approximated $50 billion on dietary supplements every year, and numerous are marketed for heart security or cholesterol management. Yet there is minimal-to-no research study showing these advantages,” stated study author Luke J. Laffin, M.D. “Some individuals likewise think supplements are as effective or more effective than cholesterol-lowering statin medications.” Laffin is co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
Arazo Nutrition brand name of red yeast rice 2,400 mg
BioSchwartz brand turmeric curcumin with bioperine 4,500 mg
Garlique ™ brand garlic with 5,000 mcg of allicin
Nature Made ® CholestOff Plus ™ with 1,600 mg of plant sterols
Nature Made ® fish oil 2,400 mg
Nutriflair ™ brand name cinnamon 2,400 mg
In the study, the efficiency of a low-dose statin was compared to that of 6 common dietary supplements in decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol– referred to as bad cholesterol. It likewise analyzed their effects on other cholesterol levels and markers of swelling.
There are 2 kinds of cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is called the “excellent” cholesterol because it secures the heart. In contrast, high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, suggest greater threat for heart disease and stroke since it forms deposits that can narrow and stiffen arteries. Raised bad cholesterol is a growing issue worldwide. Worldwide in 2020, there were 4.51 million deaths attributable to high LDL cholesterol, which was up 19% from 2010, according to American Heart Association 2022 statistics.
In this research study, called Supplements, Placebo or Rosuvastatin Study, or SPORT, researchers evaluated health data for 199 grownups in between ages 40-75 years who had no individual history of heart disease. Participants had LDL cholesterol procedures between 70 mg/dL and 189 mg/dL, and a 5%- 20% risk of establishing atherosclerotic heart disease within 10 years.
Researchers arbitrarily assigned participants to one of eight groups to track any changes in LDL cholesterol and other markers of heart problem from the first day to day 28 of the research study. The groups consisted of those taking: a placebo, or sham pill; 5 mg of the low-dose statin medication rosuvastatin (a standard medication offered under the trademark name Crestor); or one of six dietary supplements (Nature Made ® fish oil 2,400 mg; Garlique ™ brand name garlic with 5,000 mcg of allicin; Nutriflair ™ brand cinnamon 2,400 mg; Nature Made ® CholestOff Plus ™ with 1,600 mg of plant sterols; BioSchwartz brand name turmeric curcumin with bioperine 4,500 mg; or Arazo Nutrition brand name of red yeast rice 2,400 mg).
Scientist found:
” Although there are previous studies showing that red yeast rice and plant sterol supplements might reduce LDL cholesterol, the findings of our research study underscore that the contents of these dietary supplements might vary. They do not produce consistent decreases in cholesterol,” Laffin said. “This study sends out an essential public health message that dietary supplements frequently taken for cholesterol health or heart health are not likely to provide meaningful influence on cholesterol levels. The results also indicate that a low-dose statin uses important beneficial results on ones cholesterol profile. Future research should study other kinds of dietary supplements and their prospective influence on cholesterol levels.”
The American Heart Association in its 2018 Cholesterol Guidelines highlights a heart-healthy lifestyle throughout life. In addition, the association recommends individuals not rely on supplements and recommends that healthy people get adequate nutrients by consuming a variety of foods in small amounts. The Association suggests physical activity is the ideal first treatment choice for grownups with moderate to reasonably raised blood pressure and blood cholesterol who otherwise have low heart disease danger
A restriction of the study is that its duration was just 28 days, which was long enough to show a decrease in LDL cholesterol with the statin medication. “However, it is unknown if some of the supplements might require a longer time to have any impact on cholesterol,” according to Laffin.
Reference: “Comparative Effects of Low-Dose Rosuvastatin, Placebo and Dietary Supplements on Lipids and Inflammatory Biomarkers” by Luke J. Laffin, Dennis Bruemmer, Michelle Garcia, Danielle M. Brennan, Ellen McErlean, Douglas S. Jacoby, Erin D. Michos, Paul M. Ridker, Tracy Y. Wang, Karol E. Watson, Howard G. Hutchinson and Steven E. Nissen, 6 November 2022, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.DOI: 10.1016/ j.jacc.2022.10.013.
Co-authors are Dennis Bruemmer, M.D.; Michelle Garcia, R.N.; Danielle Brennan, M.S.; Ellen McErlean, M.S.N.; Douglas Jacoby, M.D.; Erin D. Michos, M.D., M.H.S, FAHA; Paul M. Ridker, M.D., FAHA; Tracy Y. Wang, M.D., M.H.S., M.S., FAHA; Karol E. Watson, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA; Howard Hutchinson, M.D.; and Steven E. Nissen, M.D
. The study was funded by AstraZeneca, the company that makes Crestor, a popular brand name of the statin rosuvastatin.
According to late-breaking science outcomes, six commonly used dietary supplements promoted for improving heart health were inefficient at lowering LDL or “bad” cholesterol in contrast to a typical low-dose statin medication or placebo. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is called the “great” cholesterol because it protects the heart.” Although there are previous studies demonstrating that red yeast rice and plant sterol supplements may minimize LDL cholesterol, the findings of our research study underscore that the contents of these dietary supplements might vary. “This study sends out a crucial public health message that dietary supplements typically taken for cholesterol health or heart health are unlikely to provide significant effect on cholesterol levels. Future research study needs to study other types of dietary supplements and their possible effect on cholesterol levels.”
Average LDL cholesterol decrease after 28 days was 37.9% amongst individuals who took the statin, while modifications in LDL cholesterol levels amongst those who took any of the dietary supplements were comparable to those in the placebo group.
Individuals in the statin group had an average 24% reduction in total cholesterol, which was a more significant decrease than among the placebo group or any dietary supplement. Compared to placebo, there was no distinction in total cholesterol steps for participants taking any of the dietary supplements.
Compared to placebo, the garlic dietary supplement notably increased LDL cholesterol.
Compared to placebo, the plant sterols dietary supplement especially decreased HDL cholesterol.
Rosuvastatin resulted in a 19% decrease in blood triglycerides. Compared to placebo, there was no difference in triglycerides for any of the dietary supplements.
There was no substantial modification in HDL cholesterol with rosuvastatin.
None of the research study interventions significantly impacted inflammatory markers in the blood that recommend a higher danger for cardiovascular disease throughout the 28 days of the research study.
