The new study used a bergamot phytosome ingredient manufactured by Italian ingredient supplier Indena, which funded the study. The study was conducted by an Indena employee as well as researchers associated with universities in Italy and Bahrain. It was published recently in the journal Nutrients.
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) is a citrus fruit cultivated almost exclusively in Italy which in past research has shown cholesterol lowering activity. Indena’s bergamot phytosome, branded as Vazguard, uses the company’s absorption-boosting delivery technology, which is a form of liposomal encapsulation.
Artichoke addition shows promise
The researchers noted that a previous study using the Vazguard ingredient had found that about 13% of subjects showed no lowering of total cholesterol and about 7% did not lower their LDL cholesterol levels. The reasons for the poor response among this group remain unexplained, as is the case for many instances of poor response to natural products.
The company reasoned that adding an artichoke leaf standardized dry extract could help solve the non response issue. The researchers said previous studies have suggested a synergistic benefit between the two botanicals in the realm of lowering cholesterol.
In order to test the hypothesis, the researchers recruited 60 subjects who had shown poor response to bergamot alone in a previous pilot study conducted in Pavia, Italy. The subjects all exhibited mildly high cholesterol levels (220–280 mg/dL). The subjects, both men and women, ranged in age from 18 to 65 and ranged from normal weight to moderately obese (BMI range of 25-35). None of them had a history of cardiovascular disease. They were randomly divided into two groups.