The effect of bergamot on dyslipidemia

Rosaria Vincenza Giglio; Angelo Maria Patti; Dragana Nikolic; Giovanni Li Volti; Khalid Al-Rasadi; Niki Katsiki; Dimitri P Mikhailidis; Giuseppe Montalto; Ekaterina Ivanova; Alexander N Orekhov; Manfredi Rizzo

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2015.12.005

The effect of bergamot on dyslipidemia

Phytomedicine. 2016 Oct 15;23(11):1175-81. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2015.12.005. Epub 2015 Dec 30.

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology, Palermo, Italy.
² Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
³ Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology, Palermo, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
⁴ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
⁵ Second Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
⁶ Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free campus, University College London Medical School, University College London (UCL), Pond Street, London, UK.
⁷ Department of Development and Regeneration, Group of Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁸ Laboratory of Angiopathology, Institute for Atherosclerosis Research (Skolkovo), Moscow, Russia.
⁹ Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology, Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: manfredi.rizzo@unipa.it.

PMID: 26851838
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2015.12.005

Abstract

Background: Statins are the most common used lipid lowering drugs but they may cause adverse effects and despite their well-established therapeutic benefits residual cardiovascular (CV) risk remains. The use of other lipid lowering drugs and nutraceuticals alone or as add-on lipid-modifying therapy can be an option in such cases. Several studies have reported health-related properties of the Citrus fruits, among which bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) differs from others by particularly high content of certain compounds.

Purpose: This narrative review summarizes the current evidence on the effects of bergamot on lipid parameters based on studies involving animals and humans.

Main evidence: This natural supplement may lead to effective lipid-lowering treatment. Its lipid-lowering activity is attributed to different flavonoids. However, the exact mechanisms involved remain unclear.

Conclusion: It is expected that ongoing and future studies will confirm the benefit of bergamot in dyslipidemic and other cardiometabolic disorders, potentially leading to reduced overall CV risk.

Keywords: Bergamot; Cardiovascular risk; Dyslipidemia; LDL cholesterol.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Citrus / chemistry
Dyslipidemias / drug therapy*
Flavonoids / pharmacology*
Flavonoids / therapeutic use
Humans
Hypolipidemic Agents / pharmacology*
Hypolipidemic Agents / therapeutic use*
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
Plant Extracts / therapeutic use

Substances

Flavonoids
Hypolipidemic Agents
Plant Extracts