A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study of the Effects of a Nutraceutical Combination (LEVELIP DUO®) on LDL Cholesterol Levels and Lipid Pattern in Subjects with Sub-Optimal Blood Cholesterol Levels (NATCOL Study)

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 10; p. 3127
• Main Authors: Cicero, Arrigo F.G., D’Addato, Sergio, Borghi, Claudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.10.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: absorption; Adult; Aged; apolipoprotein B; Biological Products; blood; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Clinical trials; Creatinine; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Dietitians; Disease prevention; Double-Blind Method; Female; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Humans; hypercholesterolemia; Hypercholesterolemia - blood; Hypercholesterolemia - diet therapy; Laboratories; Lifestyles; lipid composition; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Lipids - blood; liver; Low density lipoprotein; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; Male; Metabolism; Middle Aged; monacolins; Monascus purpureus; niacin; nutrients; patients; phytosterols; Phytosterols - administration & dosage; Phytosterols - pharmacology; placebos; red yeast rice; Sterols; synthesis; Treatment Outcome; Yeast; clinical trial; endothelial function; LDL-cholesterol; phytosterols; nutraceuticals; red yeast rice; monacolins
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12103127

Phytosterols and red yeast rice are largely studied cholesterol-lowering nutraceuticals, respectively inhibiting the bowel absorption and liver synthesis of cholesterol. Our aim was to test the effect of combined nutraceutical-containing phytosterols and red yeast rice vs. a placebo on the lipid profile. We performed a parallel arms, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, randomizing 88 moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects to treatment with a combined nutraceutical containing phytosterols (800 mg) and red yeast rice, standardized to contain 5 mg of monacolins from Monascus purpureus, with added niacin (27 mg) and policosanols (10 mg) (LEVELIP DUO®), or placebo. The mean LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) change at Week 8 was −32.5 ± 30.2 mg/dL (−19.8%) in the combined nutraceutical group and 2.5 ± 19.4 mg/dL (2.3%) in the placebo group. The estimated between-group difference of −39.2 mg/dL (95% CI: −48.6; −29.8) indicates a statistically significant difference between treatments in favor of the combined nutraceutical (p < 0.0001). Total Cholesterol (TC), non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C), Apolipoprotein B, TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C improved in a similar way in the combined nutraceutical group only. No significant changes in other clinical and laboratory parameters were observed. In conclusion, the tested combined nutraceutical was well tolerated, while significantly reducing the plasma levels of LDL-C, TC, non-HDL-C, ApoB, TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios in mildly hypercholesterolemic patients. Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT03739242.