TY - JOUR ID - 20662 TI - An open-label study on the short-term effects of a novel EFSA-compliant nutraceutical combination in mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia JO - Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine JA - AJP LA - en SN - 2228-7930 AU - Minoretti, Piercarlo AU - Biagi, Marco AU - Emanuele, Enzo AD - Studio Minoretti, Oggiono (LC), Italy AD - Department of Environment, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy AD - 2E Science, Robbio (PV), Italy Y1 - 2022 PY - 2022 VL - 12 IS - 6 SP - 559 EP - 565 KW - Monacolins KW - Berberine KW - Pomegranate KW - Nutraceutical KW - Hypercholesterolemia KW - Primary prevention DO - 10.22038/ajp.2022.20662 N2 - Objective: Recently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recommended to limit the use of total monacolins in red yeast rice (RYR) products to a dose <3 mg/day. However, data concerning the lipid lowering efficacy of the reduced dosage remain limited. A monacolin dose reduced due to safety issues may be expected to be less effective as a lipid lowering strategy and, for this reason, nutraceutical combinations with other active compounds may offer a viable solution as they can act synergistically through different mechanisms.Materials and Methods: This 8-week open-label study was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of a novel ESFA-compliant lipid lowering nutraceutical combination (Colestarmony Plus®; containing total monacolins from RYR at a dose of 2.9 mg/day, a highly bioavailable berberine formulation, and pomegranate extract) in subjects (n=40) with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia and no history of cardiovascular disease.Results: After 8 weeks of supplementation, Colestarmony Plus® significantly reduced total cholesterol (−10.4%, p<0.05), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−14.8%, p<0.05), oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−12.0%, p<0.05), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (−14.0%, p<0.05) compared with baseline values. A subgroup of 22 patients underwent measurements of flow-mediated dilation, with values increasing by 18.0% at 8 weeks with respect to baseline (p<0.05). The supplement was generally well-tolerated.Conclusion: Our short-term results indicate that the tested ESFA-compliant nutraceutical is effective in a primary prevention setting, even by providing only <3 mg/day of monacolins. UR - https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_20662.html L1 - https://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_20662_09124aab4c828a73122e3ed5e56c9fdf.pdf ER -