August 12, 2003
Herb Product Used to Lower Cholesterol
Works No Better than a Placebo, Penn Researchers Show
(Philadelphia, PA) -- A natural extract
often favored by health-conscious Americans as an alternative
to manufactured drugs in lowering cholesterol has turned
out to be no more effective than a placebo in clinical
trials at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
The Penn research findings on the guggulipid extract
will be published in the August 13 issue of the Journal
of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
"We found that the guggulipid product did not lower
the level of LDL-C (low density lipoprotein cholesterol)
in our trial participants, but actually raised LDL-C
slightly," said Philippe O. Szapary, MD, Assistant Professor
of Medicine at Penn and principal author of the study.
Low-density lipoprotein can lead to heart disease by
accumulating on arterial walls. It is often identified
as "bad" cholesterol by researchers in order to distinguish
it from high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol
that keeps arteries clear.
The randomized, double-blind, eight-week study at Penn
included 103 volunteers who were divided into three
groups. One group was given a standard dose (1,000 mg)
of guggulipid three times daily; a second group was
given a high dose (2,000 mg) of the extract; and the
third group was given the placebo.
"We found LDL-C increased by four percent in the standard-dose
group and five percent in the high-dose group. At the
same time, it decreased by five percent in the placebo
group," Szapary said. Further, "a small subset of patients
taking the herb developed a rash indicating they were
experiencing hypersensitivity drug reactions," Szapary
said. The rash disappeared when they stopped taking
the supplement.
"Our findings do not support the use of gugglipid
to control LDL-C in the general population," Szapary
said. "The results do strengthen our belief that dietary
supplements need to be studied in a rigorous way, to
test both their safety and their efficacy." He is extending
his study to investigate further the effects of guggulipid
on triglycerides, also called "blood fats," and inflammation,
both of which appeared to be more responsive than cholesterol
to the effects of the herb in the clinical study.
Guggulipid, a substance derived from one of the fabled
myrrh plants of the Middle East, has a 2,600-year tradition
in traditional medicine. Indian practitioners of ayuvedic
medicine have used the herb in holistic regimens combining
meditation, yoga and diet to treat obesity, atherosclerosis,
high cholesterol and arthritis. In the Christian tradition,
the bitter-tasting, fragrant myrrh, which is used in
incense and perfume, was presented as a gift from the
three wise men to the infant Jesus. Szapary was assisted
in the study by Megan L. Wolf, BS; LeAnne T. Bloedon,
MS, RD; Andrew J. Cucchiara, PhD; Ara H. DerMarderosian,
PhD; Michael D. Cirigliano, MD; and Daniel Rader, MD,
all of Penn. The study was funded by the National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National
Institutes of Health, and the Sabinsa Corporation, manufacturer
of a guggulipid extract product.
For
a printer friendly version of this release, click
here.
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Editor's note: None of the study
investigators has any financial interest in the Sabinsa
Corp.
PENN Medicine is a $2.2 billion
enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical
education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient
care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's
first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania
Health System (created in 1993 as the nation's first
integrated academic health system).
Penn's School of Medicine is ranked
#2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds;
and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's
most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical
schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students,
the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its
superior education and training of the next generation
of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
Penn Health System consists of four
hospitals (including its flagship Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation's
"Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report),
a faculty practice plan, a primary-care provider network,
three multispecialty satellite facilities, and home
health care and hospice.
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