Bergamot might be a fruit that is new to you but there is good evidence that this bergamot can help lower cholesterol.
A study published in the journal Fitoterapia evaluated the potential of bergamot to reduce total cholesterol and for bergamot to reduce LDL cholesterol.
Bergamot is a citrus plant grown in southern Italy with a unique blend of flavonoid and flavonoid glycosides including neoeriocitrin, neohesperidin, naringin, rutin, neodesmin, rhoifolin and poncirin.
Bergamot is different than other citrus fruits because of the high amount of flavonoids that can lower high total cholesterol, high LDL and high triglycerides.
The mechanism of bergamot to lower cholesterol is different than prescription drugs that lower cholesterol (e.g. statins). Bergamot works by activating an enzyme known as AMPK. This enzyme is a master regulator of many molecular pathways including cholesterol synthesis.
Another plant phytochemical that can lower cholesterol is berberine. Read here about a clinical trial that reported how berberine lowered cholesterol by 30%!
Here are the clinical trial details:
– Clinical Trial: Randomized double blind placebo controlled
– 237 people were given placebo or bergamot for 30 days
– Patients were seen after 30 days of taking bergamot
– 18 placebo patients and 24 patients taking BPF took beta adrenergic blockers or calcium channel blockers to control blood pressure.
– Bergamot contained 26–28% of 5 main flavonoids.
| Flavonoids in Bergamot |
| neoeriocitrin (7.7%) |
| naringin (6.3%) |
| neohesperidin (7.2%) |
| melitidin (1.56%) |
| brutieridin (3.32%) |
Here are the main results of bergamot reducing cholesterol:
– Total Cholesterol: Reduced from 278 to 199
– LDL: reduced from 188 to 126
– Triglycerides: reduced from 267 to 158
[*All units are in milligrams per milliliter (mg/ml)]
Take away message: Bergamot is able to lower cholesterol (total and LDL) 30 percent after just 30 days . The dose of bergamot that lowered cholesterol was 500 mg and 1000 mg. Benefits were seen with 500 mg and in a select few patients a benefit was seen by increasing bergamot to 1000 mg. The results suggests bergamot could be a great addition to diet and exercise to reduce total cholesterol.
Reference: Mollace et al. Hypolipemic and hypoglycaemic activity of bergamot polyphenols: from animal models to human studies. Fitoterapia. 2011; Volume 82 (Issue 3): Pages 309-16.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Cholesterol, Dietary Supplements, Plant Extracts, Plant Medicine